Thailand to build its own military equipment
Thailand’s defense sector will start to assemble its own military equipment as the industry has become capable of developing weapons and army gear through partnerships with the private sector, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister for Security Affairs Prawit Wongsuwon said on November 2 at the opening of the Defense & Security 2015 exhibition in Bangkok.
The Defense Technology Institute (DTI), a public entity under the Defense Ministry, will be responsible for research and development of armed forces weaponry and would lead the initiative, he added, emphasising that the plan to produce or assemble arms and military equipment locally would have more prospects next year if funding and support is available from the private sector.
The initial major programme of the DTI is the Black Widow Spider, an armoured military vehicle and “the first armoured car to be built in Thailand.” The prototype has been under development since at least 2011 and was first seen in public two years ago, when the Ministry of Defense announced it had teamed up with UK automotive designer company Ricardo to complete the project.
The vehicle is an amphibious 8-wheeler, can transport 12 troops, has a 30mm machine gun and NATO specifications. The builders claim it is resistant to small arms up to 50-calibre machine gun fire and is can negotiate steep and sloping terrain. Some, however, say it resembles the Singapore-made Kinetix Terrex military vehicle.
Other than the Black Widow Spider, the event showcased modern military equipment and weapons, missiles, tanks, vehicles, satellite communication system, electronics and software systems, fire prevention system, disaster warning system, CCTV system and anti-riot equipment.
[caption id="attachment_26901" align="alignleft" width="300"] Black Widow Spider, the first armoured car to be built in Thailand and the pride of the army.[/caption] Thailand's defense sector will start to assemble its own military equipment as the industry has become capable of developing weapons and army gear through partnerships with the private sector, the country's Deputy Prime Minister for Security Affairs Prawit Wongsuwon said on November 2 at the opening of the Defense & Security 2015 exhibition in Bangkok. The Defense Technology Institute (DTI), a public entity under the Defense Ministry, will be responsible for research and development of armed forces weaponry...
Thailand’s defense sector will start to assemble its own military equipment as the industry has become capable of developing weapons and army gear through partnerships with the private sector, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister for Security Affairs Prawit Wongsuwon said on November 2 at the opening of the Defense & Security 2015 exhibition in Bangkok.
The Defense Technology Institute (DTI), a public entity under the Defense Ministry, will be responsible for research and development of armed forces weaponry and would lead the initiative, he added, emphasising that the plan to produce or assemble arms and military equipment locally would have more prospects next year if funding and support is available from the private sector.
The initial major programme of the DTI is the Black Widow Spider, an armoured military vehicle and “the first armoured car to be built in Thailand.” The prototype has been under development since at least 2011 and was first seen in public two years ago, when the Ministry of Defense announced it had teamed up with UK automotive designer company Ricardo to complete the project.
The vehicle is an amphibious 8-wheeler, can transport 12 troops, has a 30mm machine gun and NATO specifications. The builders claim it is resistant to small arms up to 50-calibre machine gun fire and is can negotiate steep and sloping terrain. Some, however, say it resembles the Singapore-made Kinetix Terrex military vehicle.
Other than the Black Widow Spider, the event showcased modern military equipment and weapons, missiles, tanks, vehicles, satellite communication system, electronics and software systems, fire prevention system, disaster warning system, CCTV system and anti-riot equipment.
