Thai deal to buy Chinese frigate expected by year-end: Minister

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin wants to finalise the procurement issue in line with the law and national interest, the defence minister said.

Sutin said he was moderately satisfied with Thailand’s progress in procuring defence equipment, calling this a necessary step to ensure national security.

“Even I don’t like weapons but they are necessary,” he said, adding that the arms fair had made him aware the Thai defence industry should be developed to produce homegrown military supplies.

The sub deal fell through when China was unable to supply an S26T Yuan-class submarine fitted with a German-made engine as per the 2017 contract.

EU sanctions prevent Germany from supplying equipment that could be used in Chinese military hardware.

As such, Beijing proposed a Chinese-made engine for the submarine, an offer later rejected by the RTN.

Instead, the Navy has opted to buy a frigate from China. However, the frigate is priced at 17 billion baht – 1 billion baht more than the submarine’s price tag.