Navy takes delivery of five helicopters

[natway09]

They are a good choice.

As I have said many times before Thais are great at buying & building things but not so good at maintaining them

[Khon Kaen Dave]

I dont know how soon they will crash the new ones,but you can bet a pound to a piece of shit that you wont hear anything about it.

[elgordo38]

You just have to love it when Thailand gets its priorities straight. The aircraft carrier was getting lonely. Maybe they could give flight tours or something. Yes we live in a war mentality world great for the arms manufacturers and dealers but not so much for human beings. Every country is the same. 

[elgordo38]

8 hours ago, jerojero said:

Laser targeting? Won't be used ever. Waste of money. Country could easily afford 10x downsizing of the military. Save billions of baht.

Sorry when it comes to the military every thing is sacrosanct. You have a military mind running the country with imaginary wars dancing through his head. I think they are arming for internal conflict not external. Nothing like a show of strength to keep the natives from getting restless. 

[ratcatcher]

11 minutes ago, elgordo38 said:

You just have to love it when Thailand gets its priorities straight. The aircraft carrier was getting lonely. Maybe they could give flight tours or something. Yes we live in a war mentality world great for the arms manufacturers and dealers but not so much for human beings. Every country is the same. 

"The fleet will be used to support the operations of the naval fleet and marine corps, medical and rescue missions."

Is there something about the above sentence you do not understand? War?

[elgordo38]

2 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

"The fleet will be used to support the operations of the naval fleet and marine corps, medical and rescue missions."

Is there something about the above sentence you do not understand? War?

How hard is it to slap guns on them in an emergency.??

[ratcatcher]

4 minutes ago, elgordo38 said:

How hard is it to slap guns on them in an emergency.??

They have had a fleet of Bell UH 1H helos for years, have they been used to gun people down?.  

 If they did need to arm against an enemy,  is that a problem? They are after all in military service.

Edited November 12, 2016 by ratcatcher

[ClutchClark]

2 hours ago, jerojero said:

No actually, was not aware. Thank you for your enlightenment. No need for your wise-ass final remark however.

 

Agreed.

 

My apology.

 

There is always so much Thai bashing on these threads about helicopters that I made a pre-emptive strike  ;-)

 

cheers

[ClutchClark]

2 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

 

Yes, S&R is vital and Thailand has some obligations in the  Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. However, these units were sold to the ARMY, not the navy who have responsibility for sea rescue. The helicopters are marketed for light utility service which can include search and rescue. The typical use though is military and police servce  A number of air ambulance services do use the aircraft, but the helicopters are not configured for that. 

 

The purchase is for army use.  I have no issues with  that because Thailand has an inadequate fleet and needed modern equipment immediately.

 

 

I thought the Navy version included the Fenestron rotor upgrade and the Army purchase did not but I will have to go back and research it since it was several months back I posted the details.

[Baerboxer]

7 hours ago, colinneil said:

Toys for the boys.

 

Very useful toys though Colin. Especially if you need rescuing.

[ClutchClark]

2 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

 

Yes, S&R is vital and Thailand has some obligations in the  Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. However, these units were sold to the ARMY, not the navy who have responsibility for sea rescue. The helicopters are marketed for light utility service which can include search and rescue. The typical use though is military and police servce  A number of air ambulance services do use the aircraft, but the helicopters are not configured for that. 

 

The purchase is for army use.  I have no issues with  that because Thailand has an inadequate fleet and needed modern equipment immediately.

 

 

Are you thinking of the Army purchase of the six UH-72 Lakotas? 

 

Thats the one that crashed back in August 2016.

 

Same fuselage but can be quickly differentiated by the Navy version shrouded tail rotor (the one pictured in OP).

 

 

Edited November 12, 2016 by ClutchClark

[ballpoint]

5 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

Possibly able to land on the deck of the Chakri Naruebet moored close by. Much more useful than submarines

Yes, landing on the deck of a submarine can be a bit touch and go at times.

[Morch]

9 hours ago, d123 said:

Can they fly at night?

 

Yes. Even the older helicopters could, more a question of pilot proficiency and operating policy. Some armed forces fly at night, some do not.

[Morch]

8 hours ago, Rorri said:

But can they maintain them?

 

If anything, these would be easier to maintain than older models. For quite a while, at least.

[Morch]

6 hours ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

I dont know how soon they will crash the new ones,but you can bet a pound to a piece of shit that you wont hear anything about it.

 

There's usually a news item whenever an aircraft (of helicopter) crashes. With newer models, further information can sometimes be accessed by searching publications from the manufacturer.

 

[Wilsonandson]

6 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

Yes. Even the older helicopters could, more a question of pilot proficiency and operating policy. Some armed forces fly at night, some do not.

Which armed forces don't fly helicopters at night?

[Morch]

12 minutes ago, Wilsonandson said:

Which armed forces don't fly helicopters at night?

 

Third world country ones, for the most part. Specifically, I can think about two instances related to ME countries (Egypt and Syria), but aerial S&R operations not being carried out in the dark is not that uncommon, I think. Do neighboring countries to Thailand fly at night?

[geriatrickid]

23 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

"The purchase is for army use. "

 

Navy takes delivery of five helicopters.

 

As you say.

 

 

Yes, you are correct. However, there is a difference between who signs an order and takes initial delivery and who uses the equipment. It's about budgets and who owns what assets, isn't it?  The configuration tells you which branch will be using the equipment most. Based upon the paint scheme and the configurations selected, it certainly looks like the navy will be functioning as the taxi driver of the army. Here is why I state what I wrote;

 

 

Naval helicopters typically have a specific grey and blue paint scheme.   Note the Thai colour scheme and thai markings below.

 

 

   Oh look, it's the new Thai "navy" helicopter. Nice paint job. And great galoshes, it's the Thai army   paint scheme. Shazam, wham bam, thank you m'aam. It even has the Thai markings and Thai military insignia. I turned off the grey scale to allow for a colour image. That sir ,is the thai army paint scheme.

 

 

The initial purchase contract was initiated  by the Air Force. The order was led by the heavier EC725. The EC275 is to be used for the Search and Rescue activity and is operated by the Air Force out of the Lop Buri base. The EC645 T2 is designated as light utility. At the time of the reconfirmation of the agreement  the Airbus press release from October 22, 2014 stated that  these would be primarily used for transport duties. It was the first export order of the militarized version of the EC145 T2. Yes, the navy is taking delivery, but  I stand by my position that the equipment will be used to  transport Army personnel. They are small aircraft  Unless they are equipped for maritime use, and the contract did not state that they were, they are not ideal for the  Navy.  Look at who the pax are on airforce helicopters. Typically it has been  Army personnel. The same applies to the navy helicopters.And here's the best part. Read the Airbus description of capabilities for the bigger helicopter. They are the ones that are best used for naval purposes.

 

"The EC725 is a highly capable twin-engine helicopter with a digital 4-axis autopilot and five-blade composite main rotor. It can perform multiple missions that range from combat search and rescue, long-range tactical transport and aeromedical transport to logistic support and naval duties."

 

EC645  can be used for police operations, medical evacuation, VIP transport, reconnaissance, light attack, and troop-transport operations (carries 11 pax on short radius). When  configured for  long range  seaflights as when sold to oil & gas sector it takes 8 pax. Not very practical for other than transport duty when deployed at sea.

 

So yes, technically navy, but when outfitted for land use and when painted for land based operations, it suggests that these birds won't usually be deployed for over water activity. As a reminder, the Thai navy is water based and the Thai army is land based,