WRITER: WASSANA NANUAM
The Royal Thai Navy has secured 13.5 billion baht to purchase a Chinese-made submarine.
It is expected the vessel would be ready to enter service in six years time.
Navy spokesman ACM Jumpol Loompikanon said the money has been included in the 2017 Budget Bill approved by the National Legislative Assembly.
The purchase of the Yuan Class S26T, the first of three Chinese-made submarines which the navy intends to acquire at a total cost of 36 billion baht, should be made this year, he said.
If all goes to plan, Thailand will have its first submarine in service since the early 1950s, he said.
Four small Japanese-made submarines purchased in 1938 were decommissioned in 1951.
Read the full story at BangkokPost