F-16A/B Block 15 ADF were Transfered from 102nd Squadron to 103rd Squadron

06 Oktober 2021

All remaining F-16A/B Block 15 ADF (Air Defense Fighter) were transfered from 102nd Squadron to 103rd Squadron (photo : RTAF)

The Royal Thai Air Force has procured 16 fighter aircraft (local named Type 19) F-16A/B Block 15 ADF that were stationed in the Air National Guard of the United States Air Force (USAF) under the Peace Naresuan IV program and stationed in Squadron 102, Wing 1 Korat in 2002.

Throughout the period of service with Squadron 102 has lost fighter aircraft F-16B ADF No. 10202 and fighter aircraft F-16A ADF No. 10208 in the year 2011 in Chaiyaphum province During the Cobra Gold 2011 joint exercise, three pilots ejected safely.

Later, the F-16A ADF fighter plane number 10208 crashed into the cab in 2015, the pilot ejected safely. It was reported that the aircraft was damaged and had to be write-off, leaving 13 of the 102 Squadron's F-16A/B ADF fighters left.

Previously, on March 30, 2021, the Royal Thai Air Force performed the decommissioning ceremony of the F-16A ADF number 10207, along with the F-16B Block 15 fighter aircraft, OCU number 1032 Squadron 103.

Make Squadron 102 there will be at most 12 F-16A/B ADF fighter jets left, according to the group flight photos, 9 aircraft (actually flew 10 aircraft, 1 aircraft are photographic machines) farewell before transferring to Squadron 103, indicating that there are still F-16A/B ADFs that can fly around 9 devices at least.

As planned in the white paper 2020, a new fighter project, twelve replacements for the F-16A/B ADF Squadron 102 will be available in Fiscal Year 2023, but the ongoing defense budget cuts due to the Covid-19 impact make it unlikely the project will be set up in the next five years.

(AAG)