Thai militaryÂ’s hefty 8.8B USD shopping list
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Thai military plans hefty shopping list
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's armed forces will submit a 10-year, $8.8 billion (4.3 billion pound) shopping list for a submarine, warplanes and other hardware to the new civilian government after elections next month, officials said on Monday.
The military, which overthrew Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless coup last year, said the spending spree was necessary for Thailand to keep up with its better-equipped neighbours.
"Every country knows what its neighbours have and what it needs to maintain the balance of power," Lieutenant General Pitsanu Puchakarn told Reuters after a weekend meeting of armed forces chiefs.
"If we don't think about these issues now, it will be too late a decade from now," he said.
The military has faced criticism for buying new weapons at a time when the country's economic growth has slowed due to post-coup political uncertainty.
But Pitsanu said the military chiefs proposed to raise defence spending to 1.8 percent of GDP in the first five years to 2014 and to 2.0 percent from 2015-19.
That compared to 1.58 percent of GDP this year.
Singapore, which has the best-equipped military in southeast Asia, spends about 4.0 percent of GDP on defence.
Thai Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas has said the military needed new tanks, ships, fighters and helicopters after several years of lean budgets following the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis.
The military-appointed government has already approved the 6.7 billion baht ($200 million) purchase of Israeli guns, Ukrainian armoured vehicles and Chinese missiles.
Last month, the air force said it planned to buy six Swedish-made Gripen fighters for 19.5 billion baht, with a second batch of six to be reviewed by the new government.
High on the navy's wish list is a submarine to patrol the Andaman Sea and for joint patrols of the Malacca Strait with Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam.
The Navy's first submarine would cost more than 40 billion baht, Pitsanu said, and join a Thai fleet that includes southeast Asia's first aircraft carrier.
The Spanish-built Chakri Naruebet cost $230 million when Thailand took delivery in 1997, but high operating costs have kept it mostly in port.
($1 = 33.80 baht)
(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; editing by Darren Schuettler)
Reuters (IDS) -
Its a 10 year thing. So about 880 million a year worth of shopping on top of their existing $1.7billion expenditure on defense?
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IÂ’m interesting on what Submarine the Thais will buy when the money is available.
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Yeah, SEA's first aircraft carrier which is rusting in the harbour.
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Which is essentially a white elephant.Originally posted by sgf:Yeah, SEA's first aircraft carrier which is rusting in the harbour. 
And also, to put it in the harbour...might as well build another airfield la -
They dun even have the aircraft for that carrier...and nothing to protect it.
You could literally sink that thing with a simple missile gunboat or torpedo sub. -
serious I often wonder what plane for the flat top ? Did it ever come for a port visit to Changi?Originally posted by specialOps:They dun even have the aircraft for that carrier...and nothing to protect it.
You could literally sink that thing with a simple missile gunboat or torpedo sub. -
Actually they do have aircraft for the carrier, 6 AV-8S Harriers and 6 S-70B Seahawks. But thats barely enough considering some of these aircraft have to undergo servicing and maintainence from time to time and can't be combat ready then.Originally posted by specialOps:They dun even have the aircraft for that carrier...and nothing to protect it.
You could literally sink that thing with a simple missile gunboat or torpedo sub.
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/chakrinaruebet/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTMS_Chakri_Nareubet -
Should've turned it into a casino.Originally posted by specialOps:They dun even have the aircraft for that carrier...and nothing to protect it.
You could literally sink that thing with a simple missile gunboat or torpedo sub. -
they will become crazy rich if that turned into casino.....can pay the debt sum more
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yes, and any white elephant found is said to be belonged to the Thai king, hehe...Originally posted by deathscythe99:Which is essentially a white elephant.
And also, to put it in the harbour...might as well build another airfield la -
With such tight budget. Chinese sub is the only solution...Originally posted by Shotgun:Its a 10 year thing. So about 880 million a year worth of shopping on top of their existing $1.7billion expenditure on defense?