New SOC-R Boats for Thai Navy

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) received six Special Operations Craft - Riverine (SOC-R) on 18 March to replace aging Patrol Boat Riverine (PBR).

These 10m-long SOC-R boats were built by Marsun, the Thai dockyard that also built the first three M10 Mk I SOC-Rs in 2012. These latest M10 Mk II boats are designed to operate along inland waterways and in coastal areas, chiefly to support special operations.

Propulsion comes from two 420hp engines with waterjets offering maximum speeds of 40+kt. They carry five crewmen and eight troops. The heaviest possible armament consists of three .50-cal machine guns.

These new SOC-Rs of the Riverine Squadron will operate in inland and boundary waterways like the Mekong River and Golden Triangle.

Their missions are to keep the peace, prevent illegal immigration, human trafficking, drug smuggling or any actions that harm homeland security. The SOC-Rs also provide fire support in combat situations.

Additionally, the boats will be used in humanitarian relief missions and to protect the royal family and VIPs.

The RTN needs more than 40 SOC-Rs to replace the Riverine Squadron’s 39 aging PBRs, some of which are more than 30 years old. All will be locally built.

Thailand is under Discussions to Order Third Batch of Gripen

Saab's Next-Gen Gripen Fighter Jets Ready in May

Saab’s next-generation Gripen E combat jet will be rolled out of the assembly site at Linkopping, Sweden, on May 18, the company announced during a briefing with reporters at the Singapore Airshow.Three aircraft are planned for the test phase of the new aircraft E/F variant, which has been purchased by Swedish and Brazilian air forces.

No timing has been given for the first flight of the jet, which incorporates a raft of improvements over the earlier C/D version, most notably the addition of an active electronically scanned radar.

Slovakia, Czech, Hungarian, Croatia and Bulgaria

During the briefing, Saab officials confirmed that they expect to add Slovakia to the list of Gripen export fighter customers at some stage after the general election timed for next month.
The Slovakians are currently in negotiation with Saab to acquire 8 new C/D variant aircraft, said Richard Smith, the head of Gripen sales, on Feb 18.

“Negotations are ongoing as they head into an election and most likely the contract will be signed after the election is over ,” said Smith.The Gripen sales boss said the deal would be a purchase and not a lease.
The Czech and Hungarian air forces already operate the C/D version under lease arrangements. Saab also listed Croatia and Bulgaria as other potential customers for the fighter.Saab will continue to produce and develop the C/D version alongside the new E/F variant into the future.

Brazil, Colombia and Thailand

Smith said he believes Saab will secure around 300 Gripen sales over the coming years. A number of those could involve additional orders from existing customers.

The 36 Gripen E’s ordered by Brazil are just an initial order, the executive believes. An assembly line is being established in Brazil to build 15 of the aircraft.

Smith said a second country in Latin America was in dialogue with them to acquire the Gripen but he declined to name the air force in question.

One possibility is Colombia; it has a requirement and a budget to acquire a combat jet.

Discussions are under way with Thailand to acquire further C/D aircraft to add to the 12 they have already purchased in two batches of six.

A company officials said he was convinced there would be a third batch and the total order could eventually grow to two full squadrons of aircraft, a total of 36 machines.

Thailand conscription scene

All males above 21 years of age need to enroll

Thailand Considers Medium-Range SAM Purchase

Some source said that France has offered VL MICA to Thailand, while China has offered FD-2000 / HQ-9, FK-1000 and FL-3000N missile systems to Thailand (photo : MBDA)Thailand's military government is contemplating the procurement of a medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, a spokesman confirmed to IHS Jane's on 1 July.

The programme is thought to be the first major military purchase outlined for consideration since the Thai military staged a coup d'état on 22 May.The detailed specifications of the SAM system have not been revealed.According to a government document, the potential SAM purchase is valued at THB2.558 billion (USD80 million), with funds to be sourced from the defence budgets through 2014 to 2017.

The government spokesman said that the purchase is under consideration and that the proposal reflected a legacy SAM requirement in the Thai military.


http://www.janes.com/article/40194/thailand-considers-medium-range-sam-purchase

Delivery of BTR-3E1 to the Thailand Army suspended

Delivery of more than 30 new Ukrainian BTR-3E for the Thailand Army have been suspended due to the unrest in Ukraine. A batch of 32 vehicles BTR-3E1 series for Thailand have been produced in Kiev and have already passed the preliminary acceptance in the spring of 2014.

There are reports that Government of Ukraine might decided to use these in "anti-terrorist operations" against separatists.

Here is some info on the Ukraine BTRs
http://www.asiandefencenews.com/2014/06/btr-4e-8x8-apcs-adopted-by-ukraine-army.html?m=0

Thailand Army invokes martial law to quell unrest

Thailand's army on Tuesday declared martial law across the crisis-gripped kingdom to restore order following months of anti-government protests that have left 28 people dead and hundreds wounded.
An announcement on military-run television said martial law had been invoked "to restore peace and order for people from all sides", stressing that the move "is not a coup".

"The public do not need to panic but can still live their lives as normal," it added.The dismissal of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra earlier this month in a controversial court ruling has sent tensions soaring in the kingdom, which has endured years of political turmoil.Her "Red Shirt" supporters have warned of the threat of civil war if power is handed to an unelected leader, as demanded by the opposition.
The country's embattled government was not consulted in advance about the imposition of martial law, said Paradorn Pattanatabut, chief security adviser to Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan.
"The caretaker government still exists with Niwuttumrong as caretaker prime minister. Everything is normal except the military is responsible for all national security issues," he said.Anti-government demonstrators have vowed a "final battle" in the coming days to topple the prime minister.Protest leaders now occupy a wing of the government headquarters, holding press conferences in an attempt to show the government lacks the authority to rule.In a nationally televised statement, army chief General Prayut Chan-O-Cha announced that the government security agency overseeing the handling of the protests had been suspended.

"All army, air force and navy personnel should return to their respective units for duty," he added.
Under Thailand's constitution, the military has the right to declare martial law -- which gives the military control of nationwide security -- if urgently needed.The move risks angering supporters of the government if it is seen as tantamount to a coup.But the movement gave a cautious initial reaction to the news, saying that it would wait to listen to a full announcement by the army chief."With the declaration of martial law the government still exists and the constitutional laws still exist so basically it is not against our anti-coup stance," senior Red Shirts leader told AFP.Thailand's army previously declared martial law in September 2006 following a bloodless military coup that ousted Yingluck's elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra as prime minister.The kingdom has suffered years of political turmoil since his overthrow, which angered supporters of the billionaire tycoon-turned-populist politician.Thailand's military has staged 18 successful or attempted coups since 1932 but government supporters have warned that they will not accept another move by the generals to seize outright power.

Southeast Asia's second biggest economy has been without a fully functioning government since December, disrupting government spending, spooking investors and deterring foreign tourists.The economy shrank 0.6 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, official data showed Monday -- the first such contraction since 2011.Anti-government protesters refuse to participate in elections without political reforms first, and say Yingluck's Puea Thai party administration lacks the legitimacy to govern.They are calling on the upper house of parliament, the Senate, to invoke a vaguely worded clause in the constitution to remove the caretaker prime minister.The Election Commission said last week that a general election scheduled for July 20 was "no longer possible" as polls could not be held without the support of the protesters.An election held in February was annulled after demonstrators blocked voting.


http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/410719/army-invokes-martial-law

Thailand to receive first UH-72A in April 2015

Airbus has produced the first of six UH-72A light utility helicopters for the Royal Thai Army (RTA), officials at the company's production facility in Columbus, Mississippi, said on 14 May.The aircraft will be delivered in December to the US Army, which will transfer it to the RTA, according to a company spokesman. The remaining five aircraft will be built in 2015.

Thailand requested six UH-72As through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process in 2013. The contract is worth USD77 million and would be the first international sale of the aircraft, a variant of the EC145 civil helicopter.Thailand is recapitalising its rotary wing fleet. In February 2011 it acquired three Mil Mi-17V-5 multimission helicopters from Russia, with three further helicopters ordered. In October 2012 the RTA signed a contract for two AgustaWestland AW139s for transport and utility missions with delivery set for this year.In August 2009 the Defense Security Co-operation Agency announced an FMS of three UH-60L aircraft, while in March 2010 the Thai government approved a proposal to purchase three UH-60Ms. In October 2011, the Thai Cabinet approved a USD90 million plan to procure two further Black Hawks.


http://www.janes.com/article/37906/thailand-to-receive-first-uh-72a-in-april-2015

Thai Army's elite First Cavalry Squadron base, in the King's Guard with Chinese Type 85 armored vehicles

UK's J+S Limited to Supply Integrated TLS for New Royal Thailand Navy’s Frigate

http://www.jands.co.uk/files/Deck%20Mounted%20Torpedo%20Launch%20System.pdf

UK's J+S Ltd has been selected by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) as the suppliers of an integrated Torpedo Launcher System (TLS) for the New Royal Thailand Navy’s Frigate.The contract was agreed upon in December 2013. The system will integrate with the ship’s Combat Management System (CMS) and Gyro compass.

The J+S Ltd TLS is designed to fire a range of Mk44 and Mk46 torpedoes and has the capability to be modified to fire the latest Mk54 torpedo.Delivery will commence in March 2016 to DSME for installation on the new Frigate. Set-to-Work (STW) and Harbour Acceptance Trials (HAT) will follow leading to Sea Acceptance Trials (SAT) in 2017.

Read More:

http://www.jands.co.uk/news/js-ltd-receive-award-dsme-supply-integrated-torpedo-launcher-system-new-royal-thailand-navy-fri

Ukraine has delivered the first batch of five Oplot main battle tank to Thailand

Ukraine has supplied the first batch of five Oplot main battle tanks produced at Ukraine's state-owned Malyshev Plant (Kharkiv) to Thailand under a contract signed in 2011. The parties signed a technical acceptance certificate for the tanks based on the completion of a full cycle of running and firing tests in Kharkiv on Tuesday,evening.