The signing ceremony was attended by Admiral Jirapol Wongwit, chief of the Royal Thai Navy, at the headquarters of China Shipbuilding and Offshore International in Beijing on Tuesday (September 16).
The deal was originally supposed to be three submarines, but budget cuts reduced it to just one. Delivery of the Chinese-made submarine is now expected in 2028.
The 2,550-ton, 255-feet (77.7 meters) long S26T design features a Stirling-type air-independent propulsion system in addition to the MTU 396 diesel engine, providing at-sea endurance of up to 65 days with mixed use of the conventional diesel-electric and AIP systems, according to Naval News.
According to reports, the deal, which includes provisions for technology transfer and training, extends construction by around 40 months.
This is significant as Thailand is a long-term ally of the United States. It was a key staging ground during the Vietnam War, became a major non-NATO ally in 2003, and has hosted U.S. military operations ever since.
Magicalsandwichpress on September 27th, 2025 at 04:38 UTC »
The acquisition sounds like one giant fiasco. How do you sign a contract without securing the engine. MTU supplies China civilian ship building, but it shouldn't be assumed that Germany would provide export certificate for a military vassel, much less a submarine. The shipbuilder is contractually obligated to compensate the buyer for accepting a power train other than what they signed for.
TwilightwovenlingJo on September 27th, 2025 at 02:26 UTC »
Thailand, one of the United States’ oldest allies in Asia, has reportedly signed a deal with China to buy a Chinese-built Type 039A (Thai-designated S26T) diesel-electric submarine. This comes after years of delays, following the sub’s hull being built back in 2019.
Allegedly, the project was stalled when Germany refused to supply engines (because of the EU arms embargo on China imposed after the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing). Thailand has now accepted a Chinese-made engine, following China’s demonstration of its reliability through extensive testing.