In a strategically significant display of airpower cooperation, Indian Air Force (IAF) Su-30MKI fighters have conducted joint in-situ air drills with Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) JAS 39 Gripen aircraft near the vital Malacca Strait—just days after Swedish aerospace major Saab renewed its pitch for the Gripen-E/F under India’s ambitious Multirole Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) program.
The timing of the exercise, announced by the IAF on February 10, 2026, has drawn attention not only for its operational significance but also for its geopolitical undertones, coming amid intensified competition among global defense manufacturers seeking to secure one of the world’s largest fighter aircraft contracts.
“IAF is undertaking a joint in-situ air exercise with the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF). The exercise will enhance operational coordination and interoperability between the two Air Forces. IAF Su-30MKI, AWACS, AEW&C, and IL-78 refuelling aircraft are participating in the Ex, alongside RTAF Gripen aircraft, strengthening Indo-Thai defence cooperation and regional synergy,” the Indian Air Force said in a statement posted on X.
The exercise unfolded over the northern approaches of the Malacca Strait, one of the most critical maritime chokepoints in the world. Handling roughly one-quarter of global seaborne trade and a substantial portion of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, the strait is indispensable to the world economy—and especially to energy-hungry Asian powers.
For China, the Malacca Strait represents both lifeline and vulnerability. Beijing has long identified it as the primary chokepoint in its Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC), linking Chinese ports to Gulf energy suppliers and markets in Africa and Europe. At its narrowest, the strait spans just 65 kilometers and rarely exceeds 250 kilometers in width, making it susceptible to disruption during a conflict.
China’s so-called “Malacca Dilemma” underscores its strategic anxiety: in a crisis, adversaries could potentially interdict energy flows and commercial shipping through the narrow waterway. The region is ringed by nations with deep security partnerships with the United States, including Singapore and increasingly India, while Indonesia also plays a critical geographic role.
Against this backdrop, Indo-Thai air exercises near the strait signal shared interests in safeguarding freedom of navigation, ensuring maritime security, and maintaining stability across the Indo-Pacific.
The drills featured some of the most advanced platforms in both air forces. The IAF deployed its heavyweight Su-30MKI multirole fighters, supported by AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System), indigenous AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control), and IL-78 aerial refueling tankers. Operating from bases in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Su-30MKIs demonstrated extended-range strike and patrol capabilities over maritime zones.
Thailand contributed its JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighters, launching from domestic air bases and converging with Indian aircraft in designated training airspace near the strait.
The exercise focused on complex aerial maneuvers, beyond-visual-range (BVR) engagements, coordinated strike missions, long-range deployment profiles, mid-air refueling, and real-time surveillance integration. Maritime domain awareness was a core component, reflecting the growing emphasis on integrating airpower with naval and joint-force operations in contested sea lanes.
By integrating AWACS and AEW&C assets, the two air forces practiced network-centric operations, simulating scenarios involving multiple airborne assets sharing targeting and threat data in real time. Such integration mirrors the evolving nature of modern warfare, where sensor fusion and seamless communications are as decisive as kinetic capability.
Notably, the Indo-Thai drills mark the IAF’s first international air exercise of 2026. The event follows a turbulent operational year for the Indian Air Force, which saw Su-30MKI jets deployed during a brief but intense border clash with Pakistan in May 2025. That episode reinforced the IAF’s need for high readiness, rapid deployment capability, and sustained combat operations under pressure.
The Su-30MKI, a backbone of India’s airpower with over 260 aircraft in service, remains central to India’s deterrence posture. However, the IAF has repeatedly flagged concerns about squadron strength falling below sanctioned levels, intensifying the urgency behind the MRFA program.
For Thailand, the Gripen’s participation also carries weight. The RTAF’s Gripen fleet gained global attention in July 2025 when it was deployed in a targeted strike against Cambodian artillery positions—marking the combat debut of the Swedish-designed jet after nearly four decades in service worldwide. The operation demonstrated the aircraft’s operational maturity and reinforced Saab’s marketing narrative of combat-proven capability.
The in-situ air exercise aligns squarely with India’s “Act East” policy, aimed at deepening engagement with Southeast Asian nations across defense, trade, and diplomatic spheres. While previous Indo-Thai cooperation has largely centered on maritime exercises, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief (HADR) missions, the current drills represent a step forward in airpower integration.
The Andaman and Nicobar Command—India’s only tri-service theater command—plays a pivotal role in this strategy. Positioned near the western entrance of the Malacca Strait, the islands provide India with a forward operating base to monitor and, if necessary, influence maritime traffic in the region.
By deploying Su-30MKIs from these islands, the IAF underscored its ability to project airpower deep into the eastern Indian Ocean and beyond, reinforcing deterrence and signaling operational preparedness.
The joint exercise coincided with a renewed and intensified marketing push by Saab for its Gripen-E/F fighter under India’s MRFA program, which seeks to acquire 114 multirole fighters under the “Make in India” initiative.
At the Singapore Air Show, Mikael Franzen, Saab’s Chief Marketing Officer for Gripen and Vice President of Business Area Aeronautics, described the Gripen-E as “the most modern and cost-effective fighter jet system on the market.”
“Designed to defeat any adversary. Designed for forward-thinking air forces, Gripen E incorporates cutting-edge technologies and the latest systems, sensors, weapons, and pods to ensure combat advantage and deliver air superiority in highly contested environments,” Saab states in its promotional material. The company highlights “silent networking and total sensor fusion” to blind and confuse adversaries.
Franzen told reporters that the Gripen-E would significantly enhance the IAF’s air power through advanced sensor fusion, robust networking capabilities, and expanding artificial intelligence features.
He emphasized that the aircraft would complement, rather than compete with, India’s existing Rafale and indigenous Tejas fleets.
“The highest availability of any fighter gives an unrivalled combat mass to counter any adversary. Gripen will fit perfectly in the IAF together with Rafale and Tejas,” he said.
Central to Saab’s pitch is full-scale production in India, including not only airframe assembly but also systems and software manufacturing. The company has proposed phased production and technology transfer, involving over 300 Indian companies in design, production, sustainment, and maintenance.
“We foresee that we can set up full-scale production in India, which will include everything, not just the airframe, but also systems and software. We have a plan to rapidly indigenise the platform,” Saab officials said.
The proposal goes further by promising support for India’s indigenous fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program. Franzen suggested that the industrial ecosystem built around Gripen production could serve as a stepping stone for India’s next-generation fighter ambitions.
“The infusion of industrial capabilities and new technologies makes Gripen a potential stepping stone to bolster India’s indigenous fighter projects such as AMCA,” he noted.
Saab’s bid faces formidable competition. France’s Dassault Aviation is widely considered a frontrunner, with reports suggesting that India is evaluating a large follow-on Rafale order under MRFA. However, on February 11, 2026, Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, clarified that while Rafale is under consideration, no final decision has been taken.
Russia has also entered the fray with an aggressive pitch for its fifth-generation Su-57 stealth fighter, positioning it as a potential interim solution until AMCA becomes operational.
The MRFA program itself is a successor to the earlier Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition, in which the Gripen NG—predecessor to the Gripen-E—was evaluated extensively. That competition was eventually scrapped, leading to a government-to-government deal for 36 Rafales.
Saab has stressed operational independence as a key selling point, arguing that the Gripen’s architecture allows sovereign control and flexibility. Critics, however, note that the aircraft uses foreign components, including American engines, potentially complicating full autonomy.
Nonetheless, Saab claims it can deliver the first aircraft within three years of contract signature—an attractive proposition for an air force grappling with declining squadron strength.
The company’s recent export successes bolster its credibility. The RTAF’s decision to choose the Gripen-E/F over the American F-16 ended a decade-long export lull. Colombia has since placed orders, and Ukraine has signed a Letter of Intent for around 100 Gripen jets. Saab is also campaigning actively in Canada.
The optics of Indian Su-30MKIs training alongside Thai Gripens—at a time when Saab is courting New Delhi—have not gone unnoticed in defense circles. While the exercise was pre-planned and rooted in bilateral cooperation, it provided Saab with a real-world demonstration of interoperability between Gripens and a key IAF platform.
Yet decisions in the MRFA program will hinge not merely on performance but on geopolitics, industrial policy, cost, lifecycle support, and strategic alignment.
For India, the stakes are enormous. The MRFA contract could reshape its aerospace industry for decades, influence foreign policy alignments, and determine the balance of airpower in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific.
For now, Rafales appear to hold the edge, with the Su-57 representing a bold but complex alternative. The Gripen-E, marketed as agile, affordable, and technologically advanced, seeks to carve out a niche as a force multiplier that complements India’s existing fleet while nurturing indigenous capability.
As Su-30MKIs and Gripens share the skies over the Malacca Strait—one of the world’s most sensitive strategic arteries—the intersection of operational cooperation and industrial competition underscores a broader reality: in today’s Indo-Pacific, airpower is both a military instrument and a geopolitical statement.
