By Thai Newsroom Reporters
NAVY CHIEF ADM ADUNG Pan-iam today (July 2) expressed concern over a sustained delay in a final approval from the Pheu Thai-led government for the navy’s contentious plan to buy a Chinese-built submarine.
Adm Adung was responding to news reports that Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin had been worried about some legal matters pertaining to the navy’s plan to purchase the Yuan-class S26T submarine without a German-made engine as specified in the purchase contract.
The navy had pushed for the replacement of the German MTU396 engine with a Chinese-made CHD620 engine which has never been reportedly installed aboard any submarine, including those of the Chinese navy.
However, the navy’s contentious, 12.4-billion-baht submarine purchase plan, some seven billion baht of which has already been remitted in down payment is awaiting the final approval from the Srettha cabinet whilst the current navy chief who is scheduled to retire at the end of the upcoming September was ardently urging the Pheu Thai-led government to approve it ahead of his retirement.
Pheu Thai-attached Defence Minister Suthin Khlangsang had earlier advised that a frigate be procured in lieu of the troublesome Chinese submarine but commanding admirals had insisted that they eventually get the latter.
The navy’s procurement plan for the S26T submarine, a copycat of a Russian-built, Kilo-class submarine, had been originally approved by a previous military-installed government literally a few days before former navy chief Luechai Ruddit who had pushed for it in preference over rival boats such as a South Korean-built submarine or a secondhand German or Swedish submarine retired in 2020.
CAPTIONS:
A Chinese-built S28T submarine. Photo: Photoen.cn and published by China Daily
Insert: Adm Adung Pan-iam. Photo: Thai Rath
Front Page: A submarine. Photo: Thai Rath
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