Thai Air Force receives second Saab 340 AEW aircraft

BANGKOK, October 10 (TNA) - The Royal Thai Air Force held a ceremony in Bangkok on Wednesday to receive its second Saab 340 AEW aircraft to its Wing 7, where it will link the airborne early warning system of the new aircraft with its Gripen fighters and naval ships. Air Force Chief-of-Staff Air Chief Marshal Araya Ngampramuan presided over the ceremony to receive the airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration. Air Chief Marshal Araya told reporters that the aircraft will be deployed for missions in the Thai far South, noting that Thailand is now the second country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), after Singapore, to have such the airborne early warning system, and that the Saab aircraft uses radar for its surveillance and works with multirole Gripen 39 CD fighters. According to the air force chief of staff, the new aircraft can spot targets in the air and the sea at a range of 250 kilometers and send information to command units for accurate, precise and real-time tactical pictures. Besides, all systems will be integrated with a modern data link system, furthering developing the Royal Thai Air Force's network centric operations. Air Chief Marshal Araya acknowledged that the Royal Thai Air Force and the Royal Thai Navy are also linking the information systems of Saab aircraft and warships and the information integration will be better next year. The second Saab 340 AEW aircraft of the Royal Thai Air Force left Sweden's Linkoping City on October 5, flying through 17 countries, including Hungary, Greece, Egypt, Qatar, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, before landing in Thailand on October 9. (TNA)