Breaking news
Thailand will purchase a total of 49 VT4 main battle tanks from China 10301176.
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Defence & Security News - Thailand
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Thailand will purchase a total of 49 VT4 main battle tanks from China.
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The army commander in chief of Thailand has announced that the country will purchase more military equipment from China. The Thai army had signed an agreement to purchase 28 VT-4 main battle tanks from China and in the second phase would procure more such tanks until it has a full fleet of 49 tanks in fiscal year 2017.
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After problems with the delivery of 49 T-84 Oplot tanks ordered from Ukraine, the army committee which decides on military hardware procurements has opted to cut the number of tanks to be bought from Ukraine and buy more from China instead, said General Chalermchai, Thai army commander-in-chief.
However, the Ukrainian tank maker should be able to deliver all 49 tanks to the Thai army by October, 2017, added General Chalermchai. The Royal Thai army ordered 49 T-84 Oplot from Ukraine in 2011 for USD240 million, although the production of the Thai tanks has been subject to serious delays due to conflict in Ukraine in 2014 and 2015. The T-84 Oplot is main batle tank developed by the Ukrainian Company Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau, which is Ukraine's leading design authority for armoured fighting vehicles. The Oplot MBT armament includes a 125mm gun, 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun. Currently Thai army uses American-made M-41 since 1957. Thai army needs to replace this old tanks by new generation of main battle tanks. |
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 T-84 Oplot of Thai army at military parade in Thailand. |
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The VT4 also named MBT-3000 is a new generation of main battle tank designed and manufactured by the Chinese Defense Company NORINCO.
The main armament of the MBT-3000 consists of 125mm smoothbore gun fitted with a thermal sleeve and fume extractor. It is fed by an automatic loader which holds a total of 22 projectiles and charges which can be loaded at the rate of eight per minute. The overall layout of the VT4 is conventional with the driver's compartment at the front, fighting compartment in the centre and power pack at the rear. The turret is in the centre and is of all-welded steel armour construction to which a layer of composite armour has been added over the frontal arc. To increase the body side protection, the VT4 can be fitted with explosive reactive armour (ERA). Stowage baskets are mounted to the rear and each side of the turret. |
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