The Ship Model Forum

Junta-ruled Thailand says it will buy three Chinese-made submarines
By: Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Reuters
July 1, 2016 9:24 PM


BANGKOK - Military-ruled Thailand will buy three submarines worth around $1 billion from China, the defense minister said on Friday, a move that signals warming ties with the regional superpower as relations with the United States cool.

Thailand's army seized power in a May 2014 coup following months of street protests, toppling the remnants of the civilian government led by Yingluck Shinawatra.

Since then, the military government has sought to improve ties with China which has stepped into the vacuum left by Western governments that have kept the junta at arms length and called for a rapid return to democratic government.

That has come as Beijing and Washington jostle for power and influence in Southeast Asia, where China's disputed maritime claims in the South China Sea have caused tension in recent years.

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How Did China Just Win Thailand’s New Submarine Bid?

The country has chosen Beijing to help realize its long-deferred submarine quest.
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By Prashanth Parameswaran
June 26, 2015


Thailand’s navy has elected to buy three submarines from China, moving the country one step closer to acquiring a capability it has lacked for more than six decades, media sources reported June 26 (See: “Thailand Eyes Submarine Fleet”).

According to The Bangkok Post, a source on the 17-member submarine procurement committee appointed by the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) revealed that a majority of its members had voted to buy three Chinese submarines costing 12 billion baht ($355 million) each because they were the “best value for money.” The rest of the committee members were apparently split between submarines from South Korea and Germany. As I have written previously, Thailand has lacked a submarine capability since 1951 and has tried but failed since the 1990s to ink submarine deals with several suppliers, including Seoul and Berlin (See: “Will Thailand Realize its Submarine Quest?”).

The official line from military sources is that the decision to go with Chinese-made submarines was based largely on value. In a separate report, The Bangkok Post cited various sources from the navy and the procurement committee as saying that China was chosen because its submarines were not only the cheapest, but of good quality as well contrary to concerns on this score. But a committee member also disclosed that Beijing had offered military technology transfer and training as part of the package, which other countries would otherwise charge more for. That member likened buying submarines to a car purchase. “If we are able to buy a Mercedes but have no money left for petrol, we should look at a top model Toyota instead, which would still leave some money for petrol,” the source said.

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Thailand’s future submarines to have a mix of Chinese, western weapons
Ridzwan Rahmat, Singapore - Jane's Navy International
01 February 2018
Key Points

Thailand is likely to have a mix of Chinese and western-made weapons across its future fleet of three submarines
Move is reminiscent of a similar arrangement made for the country’s China-made Naresuan-class frigates, which can deploy advanced western weapon systems

The Royal Thai Navy’s (RTN’s) planned fleet of S26T submarines is likely to feature a mix of combat and platform systems from Chinese and western suppliers across all three boats, a senior RTN officer told a defence conference that took place in late-January 2018.

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Thai submarine purchase hits rough seas
By: Mike Yeo   6 hours ago
MELBOURNE, Australia — Thailand’s intention to buy two more submarines from China has run into vociferous resistance, with the country’s main opposition party questioning the need to go ahead with the acquisition against the backdrop of the economic slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Critics have also questioned the utility of the submarines, which resulted in the Royal Thai Navy holding a media conference Monday to defend the purchase.
Thailand decided in 2015 to acquire three S26T diesel-electric submarines, an export version of the Type 039A, or Yuan class. The $390 million contract for the first boat was signed in 2017 by the military government in power at that time, with delivery expected in 2024.
A nine-member parliamentary subcommittee scrutinizing the government’s major projects had narrowly approved the $717 million two-sub acquisition, with the chairman casting the deciding vote to break the deadlock.

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China Is Selling Thailand a Submarine. Problem Is, No Engines.
The deal stipulates the use of German diesel engines that Germany won’t export to China

By Niharika Mandhana
March 14, 2022 5:30 am ET


SINGAPORE—The submarine that China is building for Thailand is missing something: engines.
The deal calls for China to equip the submarine with diesel engines made by Germany’s MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH, according to a Thai navy spokesman. But Germany is barring export of the engines to China, strictly applying a European Union arms embargo imposed in 1989, after Chinese authorities used deadly force against protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.

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