Bangkok (VNA) – The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is seeking a budget of 40 billion THB (1.2 billionUSD) for fiscal 2024 with additional funds needed for essential aircraftupgrades and replacements, Commander-in-Chief Air Chief Marshall AlongkornVannarot has said.
The budget allocation for RTAFfor fiscal 2023 was 36.1 billion THB.
The RTAFneeds the extra money for projects that will take years to implement, Alongkorn told local media, addingthat this need will not change when the new government takes office after thegeneral election scheduled to take place in May.
The air force chief said theRTAF must replace its Airbus A340-500, which has been in service for 18 years.The plane's uses included humanitarian missions, such as the recent assistancefor earthquake victims in Turkey. It was due to be decommissioned in 2026, hesaid.
Alongkorn also said that theRTAF will spend its budget on improving the radar efficiency of Saab 340aircraft, adding that the plane was used in air defence operations during theAsia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in November last year.
A plan to buy F-35A combataircraft from the US was included in the air force's 2024 budgetsubmission, but approval by the US Congress is still required, he said, notingthat the air force is also looking at other options./.
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