F-35 purchase plan in perilThe Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) will not back down on its request to purchase US-made F-35 fighter jets, even after the opposition party announced it would use the issue to vote down the 2023 budget bill during an upcoming House debate. The air force is aiming to procure three of the aircraft per year in each phase, and the process may take about seven years. Yutthapong Charasathian, deputy leader of the Pheu Thai Party, said opposition parties will vote down the budget bill in parliament tomorrow over the plan to purchase the F-35s. He said that the country needs money for development and financial relief rather than new fighter jets. "I wanted to know why we need new fighter jets and who we must fight against," he said.

Source: Bangkok Post May 30, 2022 09:46 UTC