Thai Navy to receive 5 mobile MANPADS air defense launchers.

The Naval Ordnance Department of the Royal Thai Navy announced to acquire 5 of Mobile Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile on 4x4 vehicles for RTN Naval Air and Coastal Defense Command, Asian Defence News reports.
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The Dzhigit support launching unit (SLU) is designed for a single operator to mount, aim and launch 2 Igla or Igla-S MANPADS missiles in salvo or successively at one target (Picture source: KBM via Asian Defence News)

The Royal Thai Navy's Naval Ordnance Department intends to purchase a mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile to enhance the capability of the anti-aircraft command and maintain the coast. The air defense wants to cover 5 sets of military key areas, using an operational budget of 246 million baht (USD 8.209 Mn) period in fiscal year 2021. It is understood that Thai Datagate will be the distributor for the Igla-S ground-to-air missile, the shoulder-mounted anti-air missile system already in use by the Thai Army, or maybe it would Russia's newest Verba ground-to-air missile. The SA-25 Verba 9K333 is the next generation of MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense System) designed and manufactured in Russia by KBM (Konstruktorskoye Byuro Mashinostroyeniya). The systems was unveiled during the defense exhibition in Russia Army-2015.

The Datagate is likely to equip with a Dzhigit-style launcher that can accommodate two Igla-S missiles, which can be mounted on a truck or used from the ground.

Chinese company CVIC (China Vanguard Industry Corp) is likely to be a distributor of Vanguard-type shoulder-fired missile weapons systems, such as the QW-18 that ACDC (Air and Coastal Defence Command) already has in use and the QW-2 used in it. The Royal Thai Air Force already uses the modified Type 51 4x4 vehicles as a base for missile launcher.