Picture courtesy of Thai PBS World

 

The Thai Cabinet has approved a contentious 13.5 billion baht submarine deal with China, choosing Chinese-made CHD620 engines over the originally planned German MTU diesel engines.

 

This decision follows Germany's refusal to export the MTU engines, adhering to NATO and EU restrictions on sensitive technology exports to China. The contract will now be extended by three years to accommodate the change.

 

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) had hesitated to accept the Chinese engines due to concerns over performance, but the fear of losing the 8 billion baht deposit ultimately swayed their decision.

 

Adding to the decision's weight, Pakistan, employing identical engines in its submarines, assured the RTN of the engine’s efficiency. This development marks a significant shift as Thailand navigates diplomatic, technological, and economic factors in its military partnerships.

 

The deal involves a government-to-government agreement between the RTN and the China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Company for three Yuan-class S26T submarines, reported Thain PBS World.

 

Now that the contract has resumed, the focus will be on the performance of the Chinese engines and their potential influence on regional naval capabilities.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Thai PBS World 2025-08-06

 

Pakistan, employing identical engines in its submarines, assured the RTN of the engine’s efficiency.

 

And that is supposed to be an endorsement  🤣

fear of losing the 8 billion baht deposit 

 

HA......No telling how many of these billions have already siphoned off in the last 10 years into private bank accounts........I really doubt there is even enough left to build a sub....

"...the fear of losing the 8 billion baht deposit ultimately swayed their decision." Like redwood1 said about siphoning...  if you make a deposit for something, say a 427 Corvette and the dealer tries to give you one with a 283, business law says you get your deposit back.... but the dealer would probably want those envelopes returned and there is the rub... 

Should get some discount if this 'deal' is going to take 3 more years... maybe 'buy one, get one'? Thais love those deals, can't resist

Red coloured envelopes ..........just for a change !

If you want build a submarine you need engines. If Germany don't want sell them to you then just buy it somewhere else. Don't disturb Germany destroying their economy in the name of double moral.

9 hours ago, webfact said:

The Thai Cabinet has approved a contentious 13.5 billion baht submarine deal with China, choosing Chinese-made CHD620 engines over the originally planned German MTU diesel engines.

No choice... 

Are these people insane?? Those Chinese subs are rat traps!! Seems like it is either ignorance or huge corruption here! Incredible!☹😖

9 hours ago, webfact said:

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) had hesitated to accept the Chinese engines due to concerns over performance, but the fear of losing the 8 billion baht deposit ultimately swayed their decision.

How the f do you lose your deposit when the vendor can't supply the product they contracted for??

Just another massive grift. Bribes paid out years ago, can't cancel now.

Will come in as very useful for protecting the Cambodian border!

As usual the military gets to squander money that would be better spent on helping the population, all because captain Somchai wants a new toy to show off. 
 

They might be better contacting Build Your Dreams and going all electric. Install charging points all down the gulf coast.

Only agreed to the deal after China promised to supply 3 extra elastic bands. 😂🤣

How are they going get the Engine inside the Submarine ?? Id expect there is only 1 hatch for crew and stores.

Hopefully, the Thai Navy got a warranty for the engines that lasts 20-30 years with full service, Bet they did not. 🙂

7 hours ago, redwood1 said:

fear of losing the 8 billion baht deposit 

 

HA......No telling how many of these billions have already siphoned off in the last 10 years into private bank accounts........I really doubt there is even enough left to build a sub....

 

This isn't just about buying a submarine... it's about a long-term military committment and relationship for as long as the thing stays in service. If China wants to cut Thailand off at any time, then they can and the sub either goes to the bottom of the ocean sometime or ends up in dry dock. In my opinion, you would need nerves of steel to serve on and export version of a not top-of-the-line Chinese sub... along with the Chinese military placing tracking/monitoring devices on board somewhere so that they know where it is, and a kill switch wouldn't be out of the question knowing how the CCP operate.

Secondly, Chinese kit is rubbish generally and unproven in combat, especially the export versions, not the same as the one they keep for themselves. Thailand can also kiss goodbye to buying any decent western kit from now on, which is lightyears ahead of the rest of the world... but more expensive. Truth is, you can't cheap-Charlie it on defence equipment... you get what you pay for.

8 hours ago, JoePai said:

Pakistan, employing identical engines in its submarines, assured the RTN of the engine’s efficiency.

 

And that is supposed to be an endorsement  🤣

and a good endorsement !

2 hours ago, BarraMarra said:

How are they going get the Engine inside the Submarine ?? Id expect there is only 1 hatch for crew and stores.

They usually dry dock the ship and do a hull cut but normally is installed during initial construction. 

Just now, kimothai said:

They usually dry dock the ship and do a hull cut but normally is installed during initial construction. 

They just can't start chopping into the hull of a Submarine it will have to be placed where no water to enter it. All Submarines have there main Machinary installed within the Pressure Hull. 

The Thainese Junta left behind a lot of 'red-backs' - this is probably the biggest one and the one most likely to bite them hard on the backside. The other big one is the Chonburi-Rayong EEC Project that basically offered cheap land and costs for Chinese businesses to come and set up shop in Thailand for their re-exports to USA.  Both have cost the Thai economy a lot and are not going to deliver much benefit to Thailand (only to those that took their cut).  

If your wondering how i know this i worked on Hunter killers to Trident, Submarines for 40 years till i retired.

I worked in naval ship building for 30 years prior to my retirement, all I can say good luck with this venture as it will never happen.

My question is this. If the extremely toxic and dangerously timid army are unwilling to take any risks whatsoever, with regard to Covid, why are they spending well over 22 billion baht on submarines? Obviously there is some risk in operating subs, and even more risk if as they say, they are purposed to protect against terrorist threats and any threat in the South China Sea. The real budget is more like 13 billion baht for the first S26T Yuan Class sub, already due. And the real cost for the subsequent two? And the engines? 

 

Thai naval forces have not operated submarines for over 60 years now, while neighboring countries, particularly those with a major dispute at sea with Thailand, such as Vietnam, are all equipped with modern submarines. Looks like they are willing to take a huge risk with the treasury. Why were they so timid with Covid?

 

This government is a whirlpool of conflicting loyalties and interests. The leadership has to manage those interests, and effectively buy the loyalties of the various parts of the armed forces. The submarines are the price to be paid for the navy support. They will end up unusable and unaffordable, as did the aircraft carrier. There is no strategic justification for the submarines. There is really no real military threat to Thailand, none of the countries with which it shares a land border have the capacity for anything other than the occasional cross border firefight, as we see now. If you look carefully at all the military procurement of recent years, they are all to support ambitions, and thus buy the support of the various rival groups within the armed forces. They simply do not add up to any sort of a coherent modernisation or re-equipment of what remains a largely obsolete, immobile and under trained force, able only to undertake the most mundane of garrison duties, whilst it's bloated leadership occupies itself with playing politics or their own largely unregulated business ventures.

 

The government however (or more realistically those to whom it reports) must rely upon the military to keep it in power. It was put into power for one core function; to prevent the nascent political, social and economic liberalisation of Thai society which arose with the arrival of new technologies and communications, which have allowed a (younger) population which has long been kept ill educated and dependent for any advancement on its elders and sponsors, to communicate, educate themselves and develop business independent of those elders and sponsors. The Covid crisis was in a dimension beyond that, and it's timid, chaotic "rabbit in the headlights" response to the challenges it brought were simply because it did not know how to react, other than to use some of the opportunities to exercise power, in pursuit of that core function, which the social and political restrictions they argue the disease has necessitated, and granted them.

 

 

 

Submarines wouldn’t be my preferred choice of military equipment at the moment. But to each their own…

4 hours ago, harryviking said:

Are these people insane?? Those Chinese subs are rat traps!! Seems like it is either ignorance or huge corruption here! Incredible!☹😖

And you know that how? In the words of GWB, the US often misunderestimates what China can and does build. Just saying.

I hope the sub comes with a free salvage ship to follow it around,

they could need it , has the sub been built and just waiting for engine ?,

if so lot of time been wasted ,

 

regards worgeordie

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, andre47 said:

If you want build a submarine you need engines. If Germany don't want sell them to you then just buy it somewhere else. Don't disturb Germany destroying their economy in the name of double moral.

Before you write such crap, inform yourself properly first. Germany is a member of NATO and, of course, of the EU and has therefore also entered into alliance obligations. And this includes the fact that sensitive technology may not be exported to various countries, including China. Germany, in contrast to certain other states, is a reliable partner. Double moral can be found on the orange side of the Atlantic.

Certainly, the German manufacturer of the engines would have liked to sell them, because it would have been a lucrative business.

15 hours ago, webfact said:

This decision follows Germany's refusal to export the MTU engines, adhering to NATO and EU restrictions on sensitive technology exports to China.

This was well known prior to Thailand Navy's irrevocable commitment by deposit and long-term Chinese financing approved by the Junta Parliament. For some odd reason the subsequent Thai government thought it could still get Germany's permission to use the German engine as late as last year when meeting with the German President. The President refused - duh!

12 hours ago, JoePai said:

Pakistan, employing identical engines in its submarines, assured the RTN of the engine’s efficiency.

 

And that is supposed to be an endorsement  🤣

Well, in other words, if the Pakistani start a naval quarrel with Thailand there is at least a balanced availability of war toys .... well done! 

20 hours ago, harryviking said:

Are these people insane?? Those Chinese subs are rat traps!! Seems like it is either ignorance or huge corruption here! Incredible!☹😖

One top of all that, Chinese sub = Look at me I am here!  Anywhere in the world that sub sails. Also that sub is going to be infested with Chinese spytech.