Saab has signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration and received an order for four Gripen E/F for Thailand, the company reports. The order value is approximately 5.3 billion SEK, and deliveries will take place from 2025 to 2030.

According to Saab, the deal includes three Gripen E and one Gripen F, as well as equipment, support, and training. Simultaneously, Saab has signed an agreement with the Royal Thai Air Force on a long-term offset package involving technology transfer, industrial cooperation, and investments in several sectors in Thailand.

– We welcome Thailand as the latest customer for Gripen E/F. Thailand is already a well-established Gripen user and is familiar with the strengths that Gripen brings to the Thai armed forces. Thailand has chosen the market's most modern fighter aircraft to build the next generation of strategic and independent capability, says Micael Johansson, President and CEO of Saab.

The Royal Thai Air Force currently has a squadron of Gripen C/D. The new E/F aircraft will operate alongside the existing Gripen, according to Saab.

In June 2023, FSN reported that the Royal Thai Air Force was considering supplementing its fleet with more Gripen C/D and replacing older F-16 and F-5 aircraft. In August 2024, Gripen was identified as a replacement for parts of the F-16 fleet, and an initial phase of four aircraft was discussed with a budget allocation of approximately 560 million dollars. On June 4, 2025, the air force in Bangkok announced that the choice had fallen on Gripen E/F, with the first step including four aircraft, equipment, and training as part of a plan for twelve new aircraft by 2034.