SHAH ALAM: Keeping up with the Joneses. Thailand wants to buy eight Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs stating that it will be cheaper than buying the latest version of the Saab JAS-39 Gripen, the E, Bangkok Post newspaper quoted RTAF chief as saying this on Dec. 31.
The Royal Thai Air Force is eyeing the procurement of eight US-made F-35 stealth jets, the world’s most advanced warplane, to strengthen national defence, said its commander-in-chief ACM Napadej Dhupatemiya.
ACM Napadej said the air force needs a new fleet of fighter jets as the ageing F-5 and F-16 aircraft have been in service for more than three decades.
As aircraft age, maintenance costs and safety risks are likely to increase.
The F-35 jets, manufactured by US defence giant Lockheed Martin, have emerged as the best choice now that costs are lower, down to US$82 million (2.7 billion baht) each from $142 million when the model first hit the market, he said.
With the new Swedish-made Saab Gripen priced at $85 million per unit, Lockheed Martin’s product is not out of reach, ACM Napadej said. Depending on negotiations, unit prices of the F-35 can be brought down to just above $70 million each, he said.
ACM Napadej said the budget planning for an F-35 acquisition project will be initiated in the 2023 fiscal year, which started in October, and the air force is prepared to answer all questions if it chooses to press ahead with the purchase.
At the moment, only Singapore has ordered four F-35s with another eight on option. Indonesia has also toyed with the idea of buying the stealth fighter but so far only announced its attention to procure the F-15EX.
— Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (25)
Im not sure how a non 1st tier nation (1st tier means not the original development partners) can get those prices which are same as US prices as recent purchases of F35 does not reflect that at all. Not to mention the operational cost of F35 is significantly higher than Gripen and even the F15EX.
>F35 operational cost slightly higher than gripen
Gripen is touted to have one of the lowest operational cost(±USD4500/flying hour), even lower than F-16(±USD6500/flying hour). In fact about the only "fighter" jet with lower operational cost is FA-50(±USD3000/flying hour)
F-35 is about 7-8 times the operational no cost of gripen, and is even higher than F-15 so flying them is expensive. What's the point of having 5th gen fighter if it's only going to spend time as hangar queen and in parade?
It must be noted that the large user base of the F-35 may well make it easier to maintain the fleet instead of a single fleet in Asia like what is happening with the Gripens in Thailand and MKMs in Malaysia. It may not be cheaper than the Gripens or even MKMs but it will make it easier
1st tier nations get to have their input on the design and opportunities for industrial participation in manufacturing the f35. If buying througH FMS, we will be buying through USAF and thus are likely to get their prices.
Pinoy CinC just confirmed what I said all along that F35 prices are dropping like flies and it has been a while that it went under Gripen's pricing. In fact, flyaway cost today is below the USD $80mil mark, and it continues to go even lower. In 10-15 years time, and if our RM doesn't drop to bottom, we could realistically buy F35s in gradual numbers like what SG did until we have a sustainable fleet (ie 18 planes).
Operating cost would defo be higher than much older planes, yes, but so as any new technology or innovations in other fields. Today's hospital operating cost is far higher than say 20-30 years ago due to more complex equipments & facilities, and this reflected by the patients bills as compared 20-30 years ago. 5th/6th gen planes are inevitable so rather than concern about the cost, we should start planning & budgeting more to cater for its viable sustainment. No more huuhaa like the MKMs being down and played up by politicians.
For want of a true fighter,if Northrop still makes the F-5E, it would still sell them.....
Why should we buying a 60s era aircraft
"may well make it easier to maintain the fleet"
Knowing that right here we have LM approved maintenance & upgrading service for their Hercs(AIROD), we could leverage on that to expand that to a regional service center for F35s.
I think we should stop thinking that other countries will want to have their military stuff being serviced by another country. It didn't work for most of the commercial aircraft so why it should happened with the military is beyond me. Anyone buying F-35 in the region will only have a MRO as the only local thing to show for the procurement, they will used this to tout local participation in the project. No regional service centre will do that.
Costs, 2 things that we need to see.
Firstly is the acquisition cost. Usually one off up front.
Then is the operational costs. How much does it cost not just to fly the plane, but also to maintain it to its highest operational condition.
Right now the best benchmark for F-35 costs would be from the Finland H-X competition. All the costs are put up front, in the open for everyone to read about. Finnish Air Force operational tempo is also much more similar to ours rather than compared to say USAF. Finnish Air Force for example, only plans for 140 hours of flying annually for each F-35, unlike nearly 300 hours for each USAF F-35. Still the projected operational cost of Finnish F-35 is about 31.5 thousand dollars per hour, still much more than say a Legacy Hornet or F-16.
Anyhow another interesting aircraft to look out for is the KF-21, with its maiden flight to be had in less than 100 days away. If the planned operating costs can be achieved, it will be an interesting alternative for airforces with low operational budgets. If KAI can achieve an operating cost for FA-50 of less than half of the Gripen C/D, I believe they can achieve their target for KF-21 too.
The F35 may not suit the RMAF’s requirements anyway: its single engine. A twin engine alternate is better, and the TAI FX might be a better option, perhaps?
"why it should happened with the military is beyond me"
Dunno. It works for the Hercs, rite? AIROD having serviced and even upgrade Hercs from other nations. So...
@gonggok
While KFX is tempting and indeed the Indons were in it once (they might go back again once it has matured), it is still a very very new platform with unknown stealth & 5th gen capabilities unlike the more proven F35. With the cost plunging down, it might soon reach a unit cost comparable to SH/ Typhoon/ Rafale, right around the ballpark for MRCA which we are targeting. And about operating cost, I can already tell you upfront no way any cheap 5th gen plane would be near to legacy/ 4.5gens. The radar absorbent paint alone far exceeds the normal cost of maintenance for non-stealth planes.
Yes, comparing a 50s era transport plane to a 5th gen fighter jet. Almost everyone in the region flies F-5s at one time in the 70s and 80s, no one send them to another country for maintenance. At the moment at least four countries in the region flies the H225M/EC725 no one has even talked about maintaining them in one regional centre. Apart from the national interest one must also think about whether the manufacturer themselves think whether it will be more profitable to them if they have four MRO centres, paid for by their own governments instead of a regional centre and paid by the OEM itself. It must be noted that at least one OEM tried to set up a regional MRO for their aircraft types, it didn't work and they had to downsize the facility within the last two years.
We should be talking about the capabilities of the aircraft against the tjreat we are facing instead of costs. Otherwise, we are no different than the politicos, providing assets that do not meet the requirments of the armed forces...:only meeting the requirements of the rent seekers