Thailand are surely going to buy Gripen?

I heard that Thailand has decide to buy JAS-39 as their next generation fighter. The cost is 15 million dollars for each one. But I searched google whereas has found no informaions proving this news. Who knows more?
By the way, who can tell me where I can go to ask why I have no right to use Search function to find old post?

[edit on 9-4-2006 by emile]

This is an old deal. This was announced in 2004. They are replacing the F-5s. They're currently in talks for more planes with Russia, the US, and Sweden but nothng has been confirmed. There was talk in December of last year that they had agreed to buy 12 Sukhois, and some helicopters, but it isn't firm yet.

[edit on 4/9/2006 by Zaphod58]

Heres the link to the 500 million dollars Su-30 deal:

www.defensenews.com...

www.freepress.org...

12 Su-30MKM will be bought, part of it to be paid with chickens.

www.mosnews.com...

Now everyone in the region has Sukhoi, except Singapore, which is going to have another heavyweight fighter, the F-15.

[edit on 9-4-2006 by NotheRaGe]

If they could get Grippens at 15 mill a copy why bother with the Sukhoi's

Same reason the US fields so many different types of fighter aircraft. Different combat roles. As I recall, the latest flankerjets are supposed to have some limited AWACS capability, so two or three Flankers in the air could direct Grippens all over the sky while the grippens stay nose cold and silent untill they actually have a shot.

Each aircraft has some capabilities not seen in the other.

The Gripen deal was in 2004, it was $20 million a plane. The Russian deal for the 12 Sukhois and helicopters was announced by Russia, but the Thai gov't said the deal wasn't firm yet. They were talking about sometime aruond the middle of this year to sign the contracts for whatever they're going to buy.

Hmm.. the Su 30 MKMs are reported to have the N-011M radar and hence they would be able to act as mini AWACS (Search range 300km+)