The first ASEAN country submarine force in my series concerns Thailand.
1 submarine on order
S26T model Image: courtesy Asianmilitayreview.com
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Matchanu-class S26T variant of the Type 039A Yuan.
1
on order, 2 tentative
Displacement
2,550 tonnes
Selected
2015, First boat ordered 2017
To
be delivered: 2023
Price
- US$380 million
The Royal Thai
Navy (RTN) is scheduled to receive its first submarine in 2023, but what is not
common knowledge is that the Royal Thai Navy is actually the oldest submarine
service in ASEAN, as its predecessor, the Royal Siam Navy, operated submarines
from 1938 to 1951.
In 1935 Thailand
acquired four 350 tonnes coastal submarines from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,
which were delivered by 1938. This first/original Matchanu-class
served through WW2, but as Japan was disarmed post-war, they became
unserviceable. They were scrapped following a failed coup attempt by Thai naval
officers in the 1951 Manhattan Rebellion.
This explains the
deep seated desire of the RTN to operate submarines.
In 2015, the RTN
held a tender process and selected the S26T (an export variant of the Type 039A Yuan), as China Shipbuilding &
Offshore International Company (CSOC) offered a very low total price of US$1
billion for all 3. The RTN secured a $390 million procurement contract with CSOC in 2017
for the first boat, but the follow up order for the next two boats has been
delayed due to public discontent over the cost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Various reports have stated that the Thai Navy requires
submarines for operations in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, as well
as to ‘keep up with the neighbors’, with Malaysia’s 13 year old Scorpenes
specifically cited.
With
a maximum depth of 85 metres, the Gulf of Thailand is relatively shallow for
modern submarine operations. While the Andaman Sea is dominated by Indian military bases in the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands,
where up 32 Indian Navy ships are based. Also infrastructure upgrades have been
completed to accommodate Indian jet fighter and P8I Poseidon patrol aircraft detachments.
In
February 2022 it emerged that CSOC specified German-made MTU 396 submarine diesel
engines in the Thai contract, which have been subject to an EU arms embargo on
China since 1989. While CSOC has offered Chinese-built CHD620 engines as
replacements (or a pair of decommissioned PLAN boats), the RTN is considering its options, including canceling the deal.
The engine issue has been reported as settled by April 2023, with ‘Chinese authorities guaranteeing the safety of the engines’. Pakistan’s S26T deal is also mentioned.
According
to Asiamilitaryreview.com, quoting CSOC specifications, the S26T
has a displacement of 2,550 tonnes (this may be surfaced displacement as the submerged figure for a Chinese Navy Type 039A is 3,600 tonnes). A S26T also has a nominal crew of 38, with
accommodations for 46 bunks, and a separate commander’s quarters. Claimed
maximum endurance is 65 days at sea with transit distances of up to 8,000nm
(14,800km). These specifications mean that an S26T could easily transit from
the RTN’s main naval base at Sattahip to patrol areas in the South China Sea or
Bay of Bengal with a small Royal Thai Navy SEALs contingent.
Shawn Chung
May 26, 2023