The Royal Thai Air Force will know by the middle of this year whether or not Washington will approve the sale of F-35A Lightning II fighter jets to Thailand, said its Commander-in-Chief ACM Alongkorn Wannarot.
Alongkorn said the air force was negotiating preparations for the purchase of the jets but the sale has yet to be approved by the US government.
US officials are inspecting areas where the F-35A fleet will be stationed, he said.
“If everything goes according to the plan, I expect the deal will be cleared by the middle of the year,” Alongkorn added.
He said the procurement was an internal matter for the air force but expected the Foreign Ministry would assist in negotiations with the US government.
The jets are part of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II series of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft.
Washington only approves their sale to close allies.
In the Asia-Pacific region, only Australia, Japan, South Korea and Singapore have been able to purchase F-35A jets.
Last month, Alongkorn said the air force had informed the US government that it wanted to buy F-35A aircraft to replace its ageing F-16s, which are nearing decommission. — The Nation/ANN
