Gripens, The Philippines and Interest Rates

Points of interest across South-East Asia, none conclusive, but worthy of note...

We could be writing about the inflammatory statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but we’ve decided to keep things to South-East Asia, where events have been continuing apace. Off the back of their recent spat with Cambodia, Thailand is looking to bolster its air force with Gripens from Sweden. The Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has made strong statements regarding conflict between China and Taiwan, and we consider the implications of the Reserve Bank of Australia cutting interest rates for the third time in six months.

Gripens for the Win

So, off the back of its recent conflict with Cambodia, Thailand has recently confirmed an agreement to acquire four JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets from Sweden. In scale, that’s obviously not a big purchase – Thailand’s air force already has over 60 fighter jets in service – but it is notable in terms of priorities. Those four Gripen jets seem to be first phase of a larger order, 12 Gripen fighter jets in total, that wil…