Thailand said the US has rejected a bid by its air force to immediately purchase F-35A stealth fighter jets, citing a long waiting period and requirement of heavy investment in infrastructure and training.
(Bloomberg) — Thailand said the US has rejected a bid by its air force to immediately purchase F-35A stealth fighter jets, citing a long waiting period and requirement of heavy investment in infrastructure and training.
Based on the current order backlog and production plans for the F-35 jets made by Lockheed Martin Corp., it would take at least 10 years for the US to deliver them to a new buyer, Royal Thai Air Force Spokesman Prapas Sornchaidee said in a statement Thursday. Besides, a new buyer will also need to invest in infrastructure, training and security systems to comply with the US norms, he said.
The US decision was conveyed to Thai Air Force by the country’s ambassador Robert F. Godec, Prapas said.
Thailand’s Air Force had sought to procure F-35A aircraft to modernize its aging fighter jet fleet and had initially set aside about 369 million baht in this year’s budget. The Southeast Asian nation planned to initially buy two jets while planning to purchase a total of 12 stealth aircrafts by 2032.
The US has instead asked Thailand to consider buying F-15 and F-16 fighter jets to meet the Air Force’s requirement, Prapas said.
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