Thailand has purchased 12 T-6C Texan II for the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) with US-based Textron Aviation Defence worth USD 162 million.

Under the contract, Textron will provide RTAF with the Integrated Training System, which includes a ground-based training system for maintenance teams, ground support equipment spare parts and other key elements.

The Thailand-specified aircraft are to be called T-6TH, and may include certain features that may be different to other T-6 variants. By the end of 2022, the first two platforms are expected to reach Thailand, while the remaining 10 aircraft will be assembled and tested in Thailand. RTAF air and ground team training will also begin in 2022.

Thailand was the first customer of the training aircraft in Southeast Asia. The T-6C Texan II will replace the Pilate PC-9 currently in service.