Army in new bid to get its airship flying

The army has agreed to pay 50 million baht more to an American airship producer to make its 350-million-baht airship fly for the first time since its procurement.

An army source said the army signed a contract with Aria International Inc on Sept 20 to make the surveillance airship stay up in the air.

The company was originally hired to provide the airship, which has not flown since its arrival in the country.

Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha ordered the contract because he does not want the airship to rest in its hangar in Pattani province any longer.

The contractor is confident it can make the airship fly by November.

The airship has been unable to fly since its delivery about two years ago. The army formally accepted the airship in July last year. Since then it has had to pay for its maintenance.

The army has paid 200,000-300,000 baht a month to refill the airship with helium, to help the airship keep its shape and avoid leaks. The army has paid about 25 million baht altogether for refills in the past year.

The airship was ordered during the tenure of former army chief Anupong Paochinda who hoped it would help deter threats in the three southern border provinces. However, it was criticised for being unsuitable for security missions in the far South, as it could be shot down with ease.

Poor storage caused multiple leaks, and the supplier repaired it once. The cameras of the airship and their video streaming system are also out of order.

Eurocopter to supply four EC725 search and rescue helicopters to the Royal Thai Air Force

A contract was signed today between Eurocopter and the Royal Thai Air Force for the supply of four EC725 helicopters, configured for search and rescue missions.

Signing the new agreement today were Air Marshal Paiboon Singhamat of the Royal Thai Air Force, and Olivier Lambert, Eurocopter’s Senior Vice President for Sales and Customer Relations.

“This latest endorsement underscores the role of our EC725/EC225 family as the helicopters of reference in Asia for search & rescue,” Lambert said. “It also marks a new step in Eurocopter’s expansion of its ties with Thailand as the country moves ahead with modernization programs for its helicopter fleets.” Deliveries of the EC725, the twin-engine tactical rotorcraft from Eurocopter's successful Cougar family, will be in 2015.

“This contract for the EC725 will greatly enhance the capabilities of the Royal Thai Air Force, giving us added reach and effectiveness in search and rescue missions," stated Air Marshal Paiboon Singhamat, Chairman of the Purchasing Committee.

The twin-engine EC725/EC225 rotary-wing aircraft family features high-performance navigation and mission systems, including a unique digital four-axis autopilot. Offering excellent flight autonomy, this powerful machine is also great for tactical transport as it has a large cabin with seating for 25 persons. As a result, the EC725 military version and its EC225 civilian/parapublic variant have become the reference for civil and military search and rescue, off-shore and passenger transport missions around the world.

Eurocopter already is a helicopter supplier in Thailand for military and law enforcement, having been selected for acquisitions by the Royal Thai Army and Royal Thai Police.

About the Royal Thai Air Force

The Royal Thai Air Force or RTAF, established in 1913, is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand, and ranks as one of the earliest air forces to be formed in Asia. The first airmen that formed the Air Force were trained in France between 1912 and 1913. Currently the Royal Thai Air Force consists of around 45 000 active servicemen under the command of Air Chief Marshal Itthaporn Subhawong. The Royal Thai Air Force has its headquarters at Don Muang Airbase, Bangkok and has several modern bases from which it conducts its administrative, transport, and training operations.

About Eurocopter

Established in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace and defense-related services. The Eurocopter Group employs approximately 20,000 people. In 2011, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world’s number one helicopter manufacturer with a turnover of 5.4 billion Euros, orders for 457 new helicopters and a 43 percent market share in the civil and parapublic sectors. Overall, the Group’s helicopters account for 33 percent of the worldwide civil and parapublic fleet. Eurocopter’s strong international presence is ensured by its subsidiaries and participations in 21 countries. Eurocopter’s worldwide network of service centers, training facilities, distributors and certified agents supports some 2,900 customers. There are currently more than 11,300 Eurocopter helicopters in service in 149 countries. Eurocopter offers the most comprehensive civil and military helicopter range in the world and is fully committed to safety as the most important aspect of its business.

Parts row delays delivery of 6 Saab aircraft

The delivery of six more Saab aircraft from Sweden has been delayed, a Royal Thai Air Force source said yesterday.

The delivery of the six Saab 340 AEW airborne early warning aircraft was set for last Tuesday at Don Muang military air base with the ceremony to welcome them scheduled for last Wednesday at Wing 7 in Surat Thani.

But this has now been put off because an American parts supplier has refused to sell some key products to the Swedish manufacturer for reasons that are unclear, said the source.

The Saab 340 AEW is used to control the Gripen fighter fleet.

"Certain key items of the jet parts and the radar system produced by the US firm have not been granted permission to be sold to other countries," said the source. "And that has resulted in a delay in [the Swedish company's] assembling of the aircraft which I really have no idea when will be completed.

"I'm not sure if this is a game or not because the Royal Thai Air Force chose the Gripen from Sweden over the F series aircraft from the United States. The latter might not be happy with that," said the source.

Air force commander Itthaporn Subha-wong travelled to Sweden late last month to discuss the delivery with Saab but to no avail, said the source.

Previously, the air force bought a total of 12 Gripen fighter jets from Sweden along with two Saab 340 AEW aircraft and one Saab 340 transport aircraft for a total of 34 billion baht.

The first batch of aircraft of six Gripen fighter jets, one Saab 340 AEW and one Saab 340 has been delivered and commissioned at Wing 7.

The second batch of another six Gripen jets and one more Saab 340 AEW aircraft are awaiting delivery.