only buys shells but not supporting subsystems. This method of purchasing large-scale weapons and equipment from China has long existed in the original American equipment countries, such as Pakistan and Thailand. Because of the most difficult relationship with the United States, you want everything when you are happy and get bored every day when you are unhappy. Pakistan has been fooled by the United States countless times. The best cases include the F-16 fighter , which has already paid, and the AH-1Z armed helicopter, which was seized.
But today I want to talk about Thailand. As one of the regional powers in Southeast Asia, the main force of the three armies has long been dominated by American equipment. Considering the influence of geostrategic and diversified purchases, we have gradually switched to Chinese-style equipment since the 1980s, but the purchase of "loyalty" does not seem to be high.
Thailand F-5 fighter
80s, the 69-II tank became an artificial coral reef
In the 1980s, due to the special international situation, China's weapons and equipment that were already behind unexpectedly went fire. It is not because of how strong the performance of weapons and equipment is, but because it is imitated based on the Soviet system, with high cost performance and high reliability, and can be used to replace or supplement related products. For example, the war between Iran and Iran broke out, and both sides had poor national defense strength, so they could only hope to buy quickly in the war of attrition. Therefore, Chinese weapons that can deliver quickly without additional conditions have become the best choice between the two sides, including Iphi purchasing J-7 fighters, H-6D bombers through Jordan , and Iran purchasing J-7 fighters.
Thailand, located in Southeast Asia at the same time, always felt it was difficult to deal with the Vietnamese army, which harassed from time to time, so they had military cooperation with China. In 1985, in order to improve the combat effectiveness of the Thai army, China provided 16 9-1 130mm cannons free of charge, and performed well in subsequent attacks on the Vietnamese army invading Cambodia. After Chavali Yongchaiyu took office as commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army in 1986, Sino-Thailand military cooperation became more enthusiastic. Under his instruction, many groups of Thai officers came to China to observe and visit, and even visited the front line of the counterattack against Vietnam.
Iranian J-7 fighter
Iraqi H-6D bomber
1987, after the preliminary preparation, Thailand finally issued a purchase list, becoming the first country in ASEAN to purchase weapons from China. The list includes 50 69-II main battle tanks, 400 undefined YW531H armored vehicles, and dual-barrel 37mm anti-aircraft guns. The 69-II main battle tank was sold at half price. Since the Thai side was in a hurry to ask for goods, the Chinese arsenal even temporarily adjusted its production plan, and the task of supplying the same type of tank to a certain country in the Middle East was delayed, and a production line was specially set aside to meet the needs of Thailand.
As for the undefined YW531H armored vehicle, the unit price is about US$100,000, which corresponds to the hot-selling M113 armored vehicle , which is priced at US$180,000. Both sides are actually half a dozen in terms of comprehensive performance. Although the two land combat equipment are cost-effective and perform well in subsequent practical applications, the Thai military, which is used to using Western equipment, is still not satisfied with this. After many years of use, the 69-II main battle tank was retired and handed over to the Thai Fisheries Bureau on the grounds that the original manufacturer had stopped production and lacked spare parts and poor quality. In 2010, these 69-II main battle tanks were sunk into the outer sea to build artificial coral reefs.
Iraq 69-II
69-II main battle tank
69-II sinking into the sea
90s, frigate only needs shells and subsystems
Before the 21st century, Chinese naval ships were still in a very low-end stage. For example, four "modern" class destroyers were introduced after 1996, which was the absolute main force of aircraft carrier killer . In addition, the ready-made goods in hand are a small number of Type 052 destroyers, a large number of 51 destroyers, and 53H frigate , with small tonnage and poor performance. Don’t say it to other countries, even if you use it yourself, you will feel that it is too backward. Therefore, unless it is a country that is embargoed by arms sales, almost no one is interested in the domestic warship .
However, there are still accidents. The Thai Navy has long been equipped with second-hand destroyers from the United States and Britain. After the 1980s, these second-hand goods will return to zero in terms of performance and lifespan.So, in the idea of being able to deal with the surrounding areas with high quality and low price, we prepared to purchase a batch of cost-effective frigates, and then the German MEKO 200 missile frigates and the Chinese 053H2 frigates entered the candidates.
051 destroyer
053H frigate
1987, the Thai Navy delegation visited the China Ship Research Institute and Shipyard many times to learn more about the design and shipbuilding capabilities of China's ship . During the same period, China-Thailand military cooperation was just in a hot stage. In 1988, the 053H2 frigate was successfully selected for high cost performance. The two sides signed a procurement contract for 4 53HT frigate . Although Chinese ships won nominally, out of the idea that Western equipment must be advanced, Thailand actually has more requirements. The platform remains unchanged but the subsystem must include a large amount of Western equipment.
For example, except for the hull, China mainly provides combat intelligence command, secondary gun weapons, navigation, and sonar . However, the main engine will be replaced with the German MTU20V1163TB83 diesel engine, and the main gun will be updated with the US-made MK45 127mm gun, as well as the "Harpoon" anti-ship missile, MK41 ship-to-air missile vertical launch system, MK46-5 torpedo, and carrier-based helicopter , etc. In addition, electronic warfare equipment and communication systems purchase Italian and West German products respectively. China is responsible for integrating these equipment (technical specifications and interface coordination), which is equivalent to building a "brand new" frigate based on Western standards.
053H type frigate
"harpoon"anti-ship missile
MK45 type 127mm artillery
see this is similar to the modification and upgrading of J-8II back then. A large number of Western subsystems are installed in it. For us, making money is second, and the most important thing is to learn a set of Western industrialization standard processes. In 1990, the first ship "Chapela" (F455) and the second ship "Bangbagong" (F456) were successfully launched, and the third ship "Kaburi" (F457) and the fourth ship "Saiburi" (F458) were also launched the water the next year. Shipbuilding delivery was smooth, but Western subsystems have many problems in connecting with China's combat systems, in addition to solving the electromagnetic interference problem. In order to prevent the leakage of complex technology, the United States has been reluctant to provide interface data for the sake of interference, which has caused great difficulties in system integration. In the end, it was a civilized method to launch the process, and Thailand obtained Western equipment installation and interface information, and combined with its own capabilities to develop an interface technical solution, which was equivalent to self-taught and finally successfully completing the four warships.
053H2T type "Kaburi" frigate
053H2T type "Kaburi" frigate
After the new century, the purchase of equipment is higher but also more repeated
Entering 2012, Thailand is considering purchasing a new generation of frigate. This time, candidates include South Korea's frigate technology derived from the Dutch class, and China's F40T frigate. The F40T has a displacement of 4,000 tons, designed based on the 054A frigate. The bridge and superstructure adopt a stealth design, with a 76mm main gun standard, and a vertical launch system. Compared with previous small destroyers, the 4,000-ton hull has a larger capacity and can be equipped with domestic medium-range ship-to-air missiles, or US-made "standard"-2 air defense missiles. The overall combat effectiveness of the F40T is very strong, with initial regional air defense capabilities, as well as more outstanding anti-ship and anti-submarine capabilities.
, according to reason, purchased four 053H frigates. Considering the continuity, it is normal to adopt the Chinese warship in the next generation, not to mention that the performance of the F40T frigate has undergone qualitative changes. But in 2013, Thailand chose the weakest South Korean DW3000F frigate plan, and the problems mainly include two aspects. Since the F40T uses a large number of high-performance radars, vertical launch systems, and complex combat command systems, the cost is naturally rising, corresponding to the simpler and cheaper supply of Korean frigates.
054A type frigate
DW3000F frigate
But the Thai Navy, which advocates Western equipment, obviously prefers the American 127mm artillery, as well as the MK41 or MK48 vertical launch system, etc.If you just buy shells instead of other subsystems like purchasing 053H frigates, then you will have to make trouble again in radar , electronic equipment, combat command system, and data link interface, which will not only cause additional costs but may also be rejected by the United States. After all, American weapons and equipment are still the main force in Thailand, and they are still a little lacking in confidence in Chinese equipment, which has caused constant sway in the specific procurement process.
I don’t know if it is for the sake of balance. After selecting the Korean frigate, Thailand did not continue to choose the amphibious assault ship "Dudao" . Instead, it signed a 071E dock landing ship with China, with a unit price of US$130 million, which is a little cheaper than the domestically produced self-used model. This is also the first time that China's shipbuilding industry has exported 10,000-ton main battleship. The 071E dock landing ship is not much different from the self-use model. It has a full load displacement of 22,000 tons, a total length of 210 meters, a width of 28 meters, and a maximum range of 21 knots of 7,000 nautical miles, which is even larger than the "Chakry Narubet" in Thailand's only aircraft carrier.
forcibly assembled 127mm main gun base
071E dock landing ship
Due to the lack of escort ships, the Thai Navy has high requirements for the combat capability of the 071E single ship, in addition to supporting a H/PJ-26 76mm naval gun and 4 H/PJ-13 six-barrel 30mm near-proof guns. A FL-3000N short-range ship-to-air missile was also added, as well as two simplified versions of H/PJ12 seven-barrel 30mm close-proof guns. In terms of firepower, it is close to light frigate . This is not only self-defense but can actively attack. At the same time, it shortens the hangar and adds the flight deck to take off and land 3 US-made S-70 carrier-based helicopters at the same time. It is not impossible to support our Z-20 in the future.
In addition, in 2015, the Thai Navy plans to purchase 2 to 3 conventional submarines , with an estimated purchase amount of US$1.06 billion. Candidates include the German 09 submarine , the South Korean "Zhang Baogao" class submarine, the French "Luyu" class submarine, and the Chinese S-26T submarine , and the "Luyu" class was eliminated early. Judging from the quotation alone, China has the highest price, with a unit price of US$355 million, higher than the 209 submarine of US$290 million, and the "Zhang Baogao"-class submarine of US$330 million, but its performance has a crushing advantage.
071 Dock Landing Ship
071 Dock Landing Ship
071E Start sea trial
S-26T conventional submarine underwater displacement up to 3500 tons, with the AIP engine supporting it, it can submarine up to 1400 nautical miles at a speed of 4 knots, without floating charging during the period. In addition, the S-26T is equipped with 6 533 milli torpedo tubes, which can launch various torpedo such as wake self-guided, and anti-ship missile can also have 12 missiles. Advanced electronic reconnaissance , photoelectric reconnaissance and other equipment have also been installed. The silentness is almost the same as the " Kilo " class, and its comprehensive combat capability is far superior to that of the German and Korean submarines.
On July 2 of the same year, Thailand announced that the S-26T conventional submarine won the bid, but a few days later to July 15, it repented that the procurement case was temporarily shelved. The reason was that the financial department did not agree. Finally, in 2017, Thailand purchased an S-26T submarine for a unit price of 13.5 billion baht (equivalent to approximately US$373.9 million), but did not trust the Chinese engine and requested to be replaced with a German MTU-396. China has been building for many years and is expected to be delivered normally in 2023. However, since the beginning of this year, there have been various voices such as Germany's MTU company is unwilling to provide engines and Thailand may abandon the purchase.
S26T submarine
S26T submarine
Conclusion
After years of operation, Thailand's weapons and equipment have initially achieved diversification while the United States is still the main force. With the addition of VT4 tanks and other traditional land combat equipment in recent years, China accounts for 30%. The maritime power reaches 40%, but the air power is obviously not recognized. Currently, the number of Thai Air Force equipment is zero. It can be understood that due to the global recognition of the advanced American equipment and the early layout of the Thai army, it will naturally be more favored. However, as China's military industry continues to launch new products and no longer takes the low-end route, it can be compared with the world's most advanced equipment in terms of performance.In addition, China has no mission-added conditions for selling weapons, and the payment method is particularly flexible. Although Thailand habitually likes Western equipment, it has begun to slowly turn to Chinese style. Perhaps it is very likely that the next Pakistani is.
China-Thailand joint military exercise J-10 and Gripen
