LINKOPING, Sweden, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The Thai air force has received the first elements of the integrated air defense system it purchased from Sweden.
The Swedish Materiel Administration, or FMV, said a Saab Erieye Airborne Early Warning system and a Saab 340 for transport and training were handed over to Thai officials in a ceremony last week in Sweden.
The equipment was the first delivery under a 2008 order.
The agreement of 2008 between FMV, as a representative of Sweden, and Thailand, covers six Gripen aircraft -- four JAS 39D and two JAS 39C -- with associated equipment and services, a Saab 340 aircraft with airborne radar surveillance system, a Saab 340 for transport and education and an integrated command-and-control system with data links.
The agreement contains extensive logistical support and training for Thai pilots and technicians as well as simulators.
Sweden will also help as advisers in Thailand during the introduction of the Gripen and the Erieye system in the Thai air force.
FMV last month signed an agreement with Thailand for six Gripen fighters of the latest C version, along with an additional Saab 340 with Erieye radar and the Swedish missile RB 15F.
