Army chief defends decommissioned Bt350-million surveillance airship

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Quote

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.

 

Too bad the same can't be done to all those who approved this and all the other half-baked schemes.

 

[TSF]

[khunpin]

The "Army chief" needs more time to figure out how to cover up the next buy. Trying not to make it too obvious that he or his mates received several Million Baht in order to approve the next "important" surveillance item.

Sent from my SM-J700F using Tapatalk

[Krataiboy]

Army chief defends decommissioned Bt350-million surveillance airship

 

I told them it would never find Yingluck, but they just wouldn't listen.

 

 

[JeffreyO]

I love the social outrage on this topic.  No one here cared about this until it made the news.  You will notice no financial change based on keeping this or stopping its use.

 

Let's put this into perspective, anyone who thinks 350mb is a significant sum has no concept of finances.  I mean, you can almost buy 4 houses at the median price in Palo Alto with that cost, almost.  What a tragedy!

Should we stop wasting money around the world?  Yes.  I can guarantee you though if that 350mb didn't make it to the price of an airship it wouldn't make it to the public, either.  Perhaps, the purchase of this led to tax money actually helping people more than an Army surplus in which they'd probably offer bonuses to officers and purchase other useless goods so that they don't lose their spending stipends the next year.

 

In Tokyo earlier, roads were being fixed but they also weren't broken.  Speaking to my Japanese friend I asked him why?  He explained that they would always spend the money, even if it isn't needed because otherwise their portfolios would shrink for the next year and they wouldn't receive as many funds.  Bottom line, the money would go somewhere worthless or another.  This isn't a tragedy, this is par for the course.  The course is the tragedy.

Edited September 14, 2017 by JeffreyO

[Megasin1]

"He explained that they would always spend the money, even if it isn't needed because otherwise their portfolios would shrink for the next year and they wouldn't receive as many funds"....alas Jeffrey0...a disease also known as annularity...a plague even, and one seen all around the world within Government run budgets, however I think the argument here is more over the costs that the Thais manage to waste as well as the direction in which they waste it and at least in most of the rest of the world they try and waste it in a beneficial way and don't line their pockets with 50% of the spend....no let me word it correctly...the cost is not inflated by 100% to cover the brown envelope necessary for receiving the order....but why do we hang on to it, even in the West, to stop the incumbent ruling Government from taking it away and then when that street is hit by a Tsunami, or in the military they all have to dash off somewhere in a hurry, that's when they actually spend their budget correctly - so to speak, but at the end of the day it is tax payers money and we can thank our lucky stars that in some countries either we aren't paying taxes, or at least Government departments have to prove they aren't wasting the tax payers money, and some even prepare to ensure it isn't spent repaving the same road over and over. If you come from the second, but live in the first then you can consider yourself lucky and laugh along with the rest of us

[JeffreyO]

1 hour ago, Megasin1 said:

"He explained that they would always spend the money, even if it isn't needed because otherwise their portfolios would shrink for the next year and they wouldn't receive as many funds"....alas Jeffrey0...a disease also known as annularity...a plague even, and one seen all around the world within Government run budgets, however I think the argument here is more over the costs that the Thais manage to waste as well as the direction in which they waste it and at least in most of the rest of the world they try and waste it in a beneficial way and don't line their pockets with 50% of the spend....no let me word it correctly...the cost is not inflated by 100% to cover the brown envelope necessary for receiving the order....but why do we hang on to it, even in the West, to stop the incumbent ruling Government from taking it away and then when that street is hit by a Tsunami, or in the military they all have to dash off somewhere in a hurry, that's when they actually spend their budget correctly - so to speak, but at the end of the day it is tax payers money and we can thank our lucky stars that in some countries either we aren't paying taxes, or at least Government departments have to prove they aren't wasting the tax payers money, and some even prepare to ensure it isn't spent repaving the same road over and over. If you come from the second, but live in the first then you can consider yourself lucky and laugh along with the rest of us

 

I appreciate and agree with everything you're saying but I think you missed a major point of my comment.  I am simply stating that choices like this are made everywhere in the world, every day.  I'm no fan of the Thai government and certainly not of the Junta but what has happened here is not some "Thai" issue, it's a global issue yet most of these comments simply point out the ignorance of Thai's as if their own home countries don't commit to similar actions.

[wakeupplease]

Hey this was the airship? that was bought of a website that said it could do what it could not and the funny thing was that website closed down very quickley and was at first owned by Guess who.

CORRUPTION and you cannot change original records on a web domain even if you are Thai.

 

Nuff said

[webfact]

Army chief responds to ‘complete waste’ as decommissioned surveillance airship criticised as new boondoggle

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 system comprising two cameras 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 use 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 the decommissioning marked the end of the airship programme in the southern border provinces, Chalermchai said: “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 out 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, the camera system Bt70 million and ground communications Bt20 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 an additional 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.

 

Meanwhile, Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda, the Army chief when the airship was purchased, refused to comment, only saying he had no idea about the decommissioning as he had retired from the post seven years ago.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30326703

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-09-15

[Jim walker]

bottomless pit of money keep on spending army boys make hay while the sun shines 

[balo]

Maybe Prayut want to try it one last time to recreate the Hindenburg disaster. 

 

[JAG]

I love the social outrage on this topic.  No one here cared about this until it made the news...  

On the contrary, there were a great many comments both on this forum and in the Thai media when this airship was purchased.

[Khun Han]

Aren't debates over stuff like this sweating the small stuff? The big money gets into the news upon pain of death?

[Happyman58]

Thailand education system its roads its hospitals are in bad shape.   They spend money on a useless balloon  Can anyone explain to me why they bought it in the first place? Just thinking of Michael Crawford who played the fool in " Some mothers do have them" Would fit right in with this mob. Be worth while watching that Crawford in the balloon with the Thai Generals

[wombat]

350 million baht and it has a use by date?

[rodney earl]

Amazing Thailand

[smutcakes]

They were warned at the time it was a complete waste of money, as have been with the submarine.

 

Will those who approved the purchase be held personally liable for the losses?

[ksamuiguy]

But no funds to maintain or operate the incinerator on Samui!

[Deez]

Maybe someone should be held "personally responsible" for the waste of money

[StevieAus]

16 hours ago, ramrod711 said:

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

I seem to recall reading about a court case several years ago in England involving the guy who sold the hand held bomb detectors

From memory the evidence presented at the trial proved that they were a blatant fraud and there was nothing in them that would detect any form of explosive material I think he rightly was locked up.

It beggars belief that anyone, even here in Thailand would make such a purchase without observing that they actually worked, but then again perhaps I am naive!!

[Baerboxer]

4 minutes ago, StevieAus said:

I seem to recall reading about a court case several years ago in England involving the guy who sold the hand held bomb detectors

From memory the evidence presented at the trial proved that they were a blatant fraud and there was nothing in them that would detect any form of explosive material I think he rightly was locked up.

It beggars belief that anyone, even here in Thailand would make such a purchase without observing that they actually worked, but then again perhaps I am naive!!

 

He was indeed sent to prison for the fraud. They couldn't possibly work. Even though the doyen of Thai forensics and prominent scientist here claimed they were pukka and excellent. And some using them claimed good results. The reality was they weren't real and the fraud wasn't only swallowed by Thailand.

[British Bulldog]

15 hours ago, baboon said:

Oh the humanity!

Ohhh the humility ...

[Sir Swagman]

Not 'made of canvas'. Envelope is polyester with a Saran film inside for gas retention. Exterior is titanium oxide laden polyurethane for durability. Easily recoatable and maintained (but here?)

Should be ok with subs though,  no maintenance required with them.

[lordblackader]

This is seriously unfair to the Thai Government - at least the airship actually flew, which is more than you can say for planes from their "aircraft carrier" :)

[Sydebolle]

I suggest article 44 to get a new helium pump. Another idea to invoke article 44 is to revamp the use of this leaking balloon by fixing the leak (super glue or sa cottt tape) and turn it into a submarine which will allow the army to save extra money and cancel one of those three Chinese subs. As no helium is required they save even more money - now how about that! 

[12DrinkMore]

 

Quote

 

the camera system Bt70 million and ground communications Bt20 million.

 

 

WOW!

 

That is a lot of GoPros and iPhones for the boys.

 

 

[Lupatria]

[Sydebolle]

New hogs at old troughs - some things simply never change here in this country.

They've perfected the steal. Not only purchase the basic equipment but adding bomb detectors and helium refills but also awarding an external firm with a THB 50 million/year maintenance contract for a leaking, stored-away air balloon. 

I look forward every morning to read, what those crooks come up with today - all in the interest to steal money from their own people and make their own country look like a passing freak show of clowns. You simply cannot make such stories up ........... 

[MyFriend You]

It will show up on the beach of either Pattaya or Phuket as a new Tourist attraction  -  "Ride the Dirigible"  500 baht.  or take bunji jumpers up 200 meters to jump off of.

[silent]

19 hours ago, off road pat said:

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...!?!??

Unfilled brown envelopes can be recycled into brown paper bags.