Army chief defends decommissioned Bt350-million surveillance airship

[webfact]

Army chief defends decommissioned Bt350-million surveillance airship 

By The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Army commander-in-chief General Chalermchai Sitthisart said on Thursday a Bt350-million surveillance airship had been officially decommissioned after the airship reached its expiration date.

Chalermchai was replying to reporters at the Army’s Command and General Staff College after being asked to comment on criticism about alleged wasteful spending on Army procurements for equipment that proved to be of limited value.

 

Chalermchai said the airship had reached the end of its term of operations because it was made of canvas, but the accompanying surveillance camera system could still be used. However, the Army did not plan to buy a new airship to replace the old one.

 

The Army chief said the surveillance camera system would be dismounted from the airship and installed on another aircraft based on a decision by the forward command of the Internal Security Operations Command Area 4. The forward command was studying the issue in detail, Chalermchai said, adding that it would be unsafe to the airship at present.

 

“Its usage will have to be modified because the expensive part was the camera system,” Chalermchai said.

“No new airship will be bought, but we will adjust the use of the camera system, as it is expensive and the brains of the surveillance system. Now we are testing it on another aircraft.”

 

Asked whether decommissioning marked the end of the airship monitoring programme in the southern border provinces, Chalermchai replied: “Yes. But other parts can be used on another aircraft.”

 

The Army chief added that the trailer truck that hauled the aircraft would be sold in an auction to be held by the Army Transport Department to benefit the Army. He said it would be a waste to leave the trailer unused.

 

Asked whether the surveillance airship project had been a “complete waste”, Chalermchai said it had still been functioning when he carried operations in the deep South in 2011.

 

Critics have said the airship was a graphic example of wasteful military procurement, exemplified by the purchase of handheld bomb detectors from Britain that proved to be useless.

 

The airship project had a total budget of Bt350 million. The airship cost Bt260 million while the camera system, ground support equipment and other expenses cost Bt90 million.

 

The airship was commissioned in 2009 but it suffered a leak and was required to be refilled with expensive helium, so it was subsequently stored in a hangar at the 15th Infantry Division in Pattani’s Nong Chik district.

 

When Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha was Army chief, the Army hired a firm to provide maintenance for the airship for Bt50 million a year, after which it was subsequently used sporadically. 

 

However, there was additional criticism that the airship flew lower than was safe, making it an easy target, so it was eventually put in storage again until its term of operations expired.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30326677

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-09-14

[ramrod711]

Idiotic waste of money, don't forget that the initial plan was to mount a completely useless GT 200 bomb detector on this Hindenberg of a tax disaster. The GT 200 had lower odds of finding explosives than tossing a coin.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GT200

[Samui Bodoh]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

Critics have said the airship was a graphic example of wasteful military procurement, exemplified by the purchase of handheld bomb detectors from Britain that proved to be useless.

 

And these same people now want to buy modern submarines.

 

Fills you with confidence, eh?

 

[wow64]

The person who thought this was such a great idea is now incharge of the country. 

 

Cant wait to listen to his wonderful Friday night talk again blaming everyone else for the countries problems.

[leeneeds]

 it will make plenty of canvas bags for the army so 

a saving and recycling,  such good accounting and an astute 

buy, 

[off road pat]

the purpose for this Airship was to get some filled brown envelopes in exchange for buying it !...

Once there are no brown envelopes to get anymore there is no more use for the airship !!!

They will do the same with the useless submarines...!?!??

[baboon]

Oh the humanity!

[tolsti]

just ask a certain govt connected blogger to use his drone instead.

[worgeordie]

More like deflated, it was always getting leaks, 350 Million THB,wonder how much 

it cost every hour it was in the air,they should tether it to the stern of the aircraft

carrier,just to remind authorities not to waste taxpayers money.

regards worgeordie

[rkidlad]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

However, the Army did not plan to buy a new airship to replace the old one.

Yea. Not at all a waste of money. Such a bargain they won't be buying a new one. 

[Denim]

The Thai army ......  full of geriatric blimps and gasbags.

[chickenslegs]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

When Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha was Army chief, the Army hired a firm to provide maintenance for the airship for Bt50 million a year, after which it was subsequently used sporadically. 

 

It would be unwise to speculate as to who gained that contract. I'm sure the selection process was fair and transparent.

[Artisi]

The idea (blimp) was never going to fly anyway..... 

[nong38]

I thought it was a submarine, back to school eh!

[observer90210]

To amortize the expenditure, they could recycle the ship to host sky sailing tours in Phuket!!...

[Deez]

No doubt at least half of the 350Million went in other pockets

[mark01]

Ah, you gotta laugh.... 555

 

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

I spend more time on the loo than what this disaster spend in the air.

[RichardColeman]

I suppose at least this particular 'white elephant' had some use in trying to locate these mad muller muslims. Cannot see the submarines serving the same purpose.  Oh, no wait, they are securing the seas from the invasion of the Laos navy !

[Megasin1]

Obviously never meant for surreptitious surveillance then....maybe the 350m was the cost from the mall hello kitty balloon vendor to supply enough helium tanks to fill it.....

[tifino]

[Megasin1]

The profit is definitely in selling to the military, 400m for a blimp that never flew, 9000 dollars for a pop for novelty golf ball detectors (when the rest of the world was only paying 5000 max) and now the submarines which will probably never sub or marine. If only I could think of something to sell to the Thai military...........if only they were interested in integrity....

[RichardinHuaHin]

So this 260 million baht blimp sat in a hangar because they couldn't afford 20,000 baht in helium.

 

[BuaBS]

That's only 6 THB/ Thai . Not a big deal .

[wvavin]

Perpetual corruption in this very peace loving country!

[Cadbury]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Army commander-in-chief General Chalermchai Sitthisart

Code name Colonel Blimp.

[tx22cb]

What a farce.

The politicians are either too scared to veto the Armed Forces, or are receiving part of the money (even the brainy Abhisit defended the GT200).

And the Thai media are too timid to even scratch at the surface of obvious frauds.

But I must applaud the Army for admitting that the blimp is worthless.  I await the Admiral to step forward and say that the aircraft carrier is a useless albatross.

[realenglish1]

Sound life the epitaph coming for the submarines the military is buying

 

Why do then need subs anyways Oh yes to sink those pesky tourists out in the high seas Yes I forgot sorry  

[BradWilkins]

They should park this over Walking Street Pattaya and get some good video surveillance footage from it. Maybe with a Tonys Disco neon logo on the side.

[dinsdale]

This is what you get when the rich buy their kiddies degrees, then buy them positions, then the kiddies and their daddies can buy them higher positions, then the kiddies have kiddies etc, etc. Don't need brains in this world, just money. Yes baboon .....

5 hours ago, baboon said:

 

Oh the humanity!