Defence minister says Thailand needs submarine to protect sea interests

[draftvader]

They'll take it out and when they get back they'll have to pay for repairs to the damage that was already there.

[thailiketoo]

What happened to the aircraft carrier again?

The aircraft carrier is fine.

[thailiketoo]

They are confusing need and want. I doubt that they need one, but they want one. I am curious about what interests they need to protect that can't be protected from above the water.

Apart from which a submarine is an offensive weapon,not a defensive weapon. Who are they going to try and scare with second hand old tech submarines in shallow water.

That's easy. Jet ski operators, shrimp boats, illegal gambling yachts, floating brothels, the list is almost endless.

[manxninja]

Submarines wont stop the Jampanese. Last time they just walked in unopposed.

[khunming]

As an offshore worker, this worries me a bit...my interests wouldn't be protected by a submarine-platform collision! At any rate, this isn't about protecting interests...it's about large procurements with ample opportunity for kickbacks.

[givenall]

What is this payback time. I would like to be the contractor getting this project

[ameadi]

How many funny comments

[Wombat6]

They are confusing need and want. I doubt that they need one, but they want one. I am curious about what interests they need to protect that can't be protected from above the water.

This guy probaly sits on the Toilet and ponders how he can make a few Baht from contractors if approval for projects is made.( It doesn't matter if the Submarie can't submerge in the Gulf in this case).

[thailiketoo]

They are confusing need and want. I doubt that they need one, but they want one. I am curious about what interests they need to protect that can't be protected from above the water.

This guy probaly sits on the Toilet and ponders how he can make a few Baht from contractors if approval for projects is made.( It doesn't matter if the Submarie can't submerge in the Gulf in this case).

The mean depth is 148 feet (to 280 ft). Isn't that deep enough to submerge?

[rickirs]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

What happened to the aircraft carrier again?

The aircraft carrier is fine.

"Due to budget cutbacks the carrier currently sits at anchor year round serving as a museum ship."

[thailiketoo]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

What happened to the aircraft carrier again?

The aircraft carrier is fine.

"Due to budget cutbacks the carrier currently sits at anchor year round serving as a museum ship."

Like I said the carrier is fine. I was aboard a few months ago and it was good. At least Thailand has an aircraft carrier unlike some other countries that I know.

Edited December 26, 2014 by thailiketoo

[rickirs]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

What happened to the aircraft carrier again?

"Due to budget cutbacks the carrier currently sits at anchor year round serving as a museum ship." This is a Thai first - a weaponized museum.

[longway]

If it had a glass bottom it could double as a tourist attraction.

[EyesWideOpen]

Lets see.

Submarine base at Sattahip . Check

Submarine day. Check

Training facility. Check

Submarines. Uhhhhh

This is all too funny for words. If they actually wanted to project power, as a poster noted

time to fix up their aircraft carrier and put operational planes on it. The standard corruption

rake off in Thailand seems to be about 30 %. So instead of buying silly objects that

sit around and make the military look bad, ( carrier, blimp, gt200, etc etc.) , how about

they do not actually buy anything and just pocket the 30% directly. This has the benefit

of savings the Thai taxpayers 70 % !!! So overall a win win ....

[EyesWideOpen]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

What happened to the aircraft carrier again?

"Due to budget cutbacks the carrier currently sits at anchor year round serving as a museum ship." This is a Thai first - a weaponized museum.

Last time I checked farangs were not allowed on board except on special days.

Guess they are afraid of farangs stealing Thai military secrets..... Or taking photos

and laughing at the same time...

[surangw]

support and repairs will make someone a healthy commission keeping the beast running. ( if they bother to maintain it)

[facthailand]

To disregard Nai Luang's direct advice is clearly lese majeste. When generals make the plans and spend the money, we taxpayers get no say.

[Qent]

How many funny comments

Yes, the many ill-informed comments are quite funny to anyone even remotely knowledgable of submarines and their capabilities.

The many clueless comments made are, however, understandable given the very small number of us that have actually served on submarines and understand their operations.

[poweratradio]

So long as they buy from the shelf not like OZ and invest in an unknown Collins class that now is ok but in the early stages was a pig, Thailand must understand that maintenance up keep is high and between the subs and the rail projects will possibly blow the Thai budget on up - keep out of the water.

Canada got a few winners from the UK a few years ago and I think they will let one or all go to a successful bidder. Diesel powered too!

[ksamuiguy]

Why not just put that money towards Public Education!

[Longtooth]

Well now, what about designing one very wide and very "flat", like a Stingray. They're quite stealthy. You can be wading knee deep and step on one. Maybe you could even design it to bury itself in the mud while it lays in wait for illicit shrimp poachers. You have to think "out of the box". Water thruster intakes on the top to exhaust manuevering thrusters. I LIKE it! Where to find a four foot long poison barb for the tail?

[Muirton]

"Yes, the many ill-informed comments are quite funny to anyone even remotely knowledgable of submarines and their capabilities. The many clueless comments made are, however, understandable given the very small number of us that have actually served on submarines and understand their operations. "

So, what's your point? If you have one, please make it for us ignorant masses.

Allow me to assume if the Thai submarine isn't going to be capable to launch ICBMs, then it's weaponry is limited to torpedoes, yes? And the target of them would be?

[Balance]

To protect.............

Thai shrimps from ASEAN shrimps

Skimming along the bottom of the Gulf destroying what is left of the coral and the fishing industry.

They don't realize that the sub will get caught in all of the illegal fish nets and drown.

[Langsuan Man]

The only surprise about this announcement is that it took the military government this long to re-float ( no pun intended) this silly idea

[Assurancetourix]

Protect its interests at sea from whom? Cambodia?

From France Navy, maybe ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ko_Chang

[Ricardo]

The RTN aircraft-carrier doesn't have any planes capable of using it, following in the great naval tradition recently established, by the U.K. !

The first submarines employed by the RTN didn't work out too well either, failing to deter or prevent incursions by the French & the Japanese, who had built them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matchanu-class_submarine

Perhaps Thailand might learn from the experience ?

[thailiketoo]

The RTN aircraft-carrier doesn't have any planes capable of using it, following in the great naval tradition recently established, by the U.K. !

The first submarines employed by the RTN didn't work out too well either, failing to deter or prevent incursions by the French & the Japanese, who had built them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matchanu-class_submarine

Perhaps Thailand might learn from the experience ?

Learn something yes....

[EyesWideOpen]

The RTN aircraft-carrier doesn't have any planes capable of using it, following in the great naval tradition recently established, by the U.K. !

The first submarines employed by the RTN didn't work out too well either, failing to deter or prevent incursions by the French & the Japanese, who had built them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matchanu-class_submarine

Perhaps Thailand might learn from the experience ?

Learn something yes....

A great speech by Churchill. However this whole concept is made somewhat moot by the fact that Thailand has a defense treaty with the USA , meaning the USA will open a can of whip ass on any country that invades Thailand. Pretty sure the generals know this as well, but maybe not.. :-)

So these massive procurements really are nothing more than toys with a 30 % rake off for more mansions and mia nois....... It would be a lot of fun to go back in history and read the important reasons by the generals for the procurement of the useless aircraft carrier .

http://www.state.gov/s/l/treaty/collectivedefense/

"A treaty signed September 8, 1954, whereby each party recognizes that aggression by means of armed attack in the treaty area against any of the Parties would endanger its own peace and safety and each will in that event act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional processes.

PARTIES: United States , Australia, France, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, and the United Kingdom"

This treaty is a little disturbing as it says we have to defend France against attack as well.Darn.. :-(

Ricardo, that Wiki article of the former glorious past of Thailand and submarines is pretty funny. Look like after

the attempted naval coup, their toys got taken away from them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matchanu-class_submarine

"The Thai submarine service came to an end following a coup attempt known as the Manhattan Rebellion. The failed coup, led by a group of naval officers on 29 June 1951, resulted in the Navy being stripped of its power and influence. The Submarine Group was dissolved on 16 July, and all four boats were decommissioned on 30 November 1951.^[8]

Edited December 27, 2014 by EyesWideOpen

[Ricardo]

Ricardo, that Wiki article of the former glorious past of Thailand and submarines is pretty funny. Look like after

the attempted naval coup, their toys got taken away from them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matchanu-class_submarine

"The Thai submarine service came to an end following a coup attempt known as the Manhattan Rebellion. The failed coup, led by a group of naval officers on 29 June 1951, resulted in the Navy being stripped of its power and influence. The Submarine Group was dissolved on 16 July, and all four boats were decommissioned on 30 November 1951.^[8]

I agree, I too thought it ironic, that the four brand-new Japanese-built Thai submarines had been unable to prevent the French navy doing whatever they wanted, or indeed to stop the Japanese invasion of Thailand.

And this latest attempt at resurrecting a pork-barrel, despite the wise words in 2007, is equally laughable IMO.

[harada]

They had their chance, there was a CONCRETE one sitting on Patong beach for a long time back in the 80s and someone demolished it, would have been ideal.