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| T-90MS main battle tank (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
Delays in the delivery of Ukrainian-made Oplot tanks made the Thai military look for alternatives.
Thailand is considering buying an unknown number of Russian-made T-90S or MS main battle tanks (MBT). According to the website Defence Blog, a Thai delegation visited the Russian city of Nizhny Tagil, the site of the largest main battle tank manufacturer in the world.
The Royal Thai Army delegation expressed interest in both the T-90(M)S and the T-14 Armata MBT – dubbed “Russia’s deadliest tank” (See: “It’s Official: Russia’s Deadliest Tank Will Be Ready for Battle in 2020”). However, the export version of the T-14 MBT is still in the development stage and would not be ready in time to replace Thailand’s aging fleet of M48A5 ‘Patton’ tanks.
In 2011, Thailand placed a $240 million order for the purchase of 49 Ukrainian-made T-84 ‘Oplot-M’ MBTs plus a number of support vehicles with Ukrspetsexport, a Ukrainian state-owned defense contractor. Yet, by the end of 2015, only ten tanks had been delivered to the Royal Thai Army, causing concern over future delays among high-ranking officers in the Royal Thai Army.
Five additional tanks are slated for delivery in early 2016, according Ukrspetsexport, although sources say that Bangkok might opt out of the contract due to the delays altogether. (Thailand was originally supposed to receive 20 T-84 tanks in 2015.)
Read the full story at The Diplomat