Thailand getting two German submarines

[Lankan Ranger]

Thailand getting two German submarines

Thai government has agreed to buy two second-hand Type 206A diesel electric submarines from the German Navy, official sources have confirmed to .

Payment for the purchase - which is understood to be about USD220 million - has not yet been secured, although funds are expected to be sourced from the defence budget for Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12), which commences in October.

The German Navy decommissioned four Type 206A submarines in mid-2010. The boats are 35 years old and were originally due for decommissioning between 2011 and 2015. As part of a defence review carried out by Berlin, the German Navy brought the boats' retirement date forward to save operational costs.

A senior officer from the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) told on 21 March that officials from the German Navy visited the country in late 2010 and offered the submarines to Thailand.

He added that German submarines had been selected ahead of those offered by South Korea and China, who had made available Type 209s and Type 039s respectively. The RTN also held discussions with Swedish shipbuilder Kockums about the availability of Gotland-class submarines.

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[Archie]

Why would Thailand spend 220 million USD on 2 Type 206 subs which are already 35 yrs old

I mean 35 yrs is the max endurance age of a Submarine , how long does Royal Thai navy intends to operate these subs , till they are 50 yrs old
I am pretty sure that Russians would have sold 2 Kilo class subs of 25 yrs of age for less than 200 million USD
Its plane stupid when u compare it with Malaysia which recently bought Scorpene class which is of the league of Type 212 class sub , which replaced the Type 206 in german service

Even India will begin retire its first Type 209 sub , which was the successor of Type 206 , in 2018 after 32 yrs in service

 

[cross1993]

Against Cambodia?
Maybe Thailand needs delivered as soon as possible.

 

[hamtaro]

The deal is for 6 submarines. 4 will enter service while 2 will deliver spare parts. The ships are in a good condition and can easily dive another 10-15 years.

 

[ViXuyen]

Why would Thailand spend 220 million USD on 2 Type 206 subs which are already 35 yrs old

I mean 35 yrs is the max endurance age of a Submarine , how long does Royal Thai navy intends to operate these subs , till they are 50 yrs old
I am pretty sure that Russians would have sold 2 Kilo class subs of 25 yrs of age for less than 200 million USD
Its plane stupid when u compare it with Malaysia which recently bought Scorpene class which is of the league of Type 212 class sub , which replaced the Type 206 in german service

Even India will begin retire its first Type 209 sub , which was the successor of Type 206 , in 2018 after 32 yrs in service

Those two subs are more than likely for training purposes before Thailand starts to consider more serious subs. Thailand has $176 billion USD of FOREX so it's not like they don't have cash to pay. Vietnam does not place order for 6 Kilo-class subs for $4 billion USD before we operated two North Korea subs for a while; I believe Thailand will go through the same process as Vietnam.

 

[Penguin]

Why would Thailand spend 220 million USD on 2 Type 206 subs which are already 35 yrs old

I mean 35 yrs is the max endurance age of a Submarine , how long does Royal Thai navy intends to operate these subs , till they are 50 yrs old
I am pretty sure that Russians would have sold 2 Kilo class subs of 25 yrs of age for less than 200 million USD
Its plane stupid when u compare it with Malaysia which recently bought Scorpene class which is of the league of Type 212 class sub , which replaced the Type 206 in german service

Even India will begin retire its first Type 209 sub , which was the successor of Type 206 , in 2018 after 32 yrs in service

- Thailand currently has no submarine service. The Royal Thai Navy lacks the infrastructure to support submarines as well as any trained crew.
- Type 206 is a small coastal submarine, displacing 450 t surfaced and 498t submerged, capable of 4,500 nmi at 5 knots while surfaced and 228 nmi at 4 knots while submerged, with a crew of 23
- Swedish Gotland class is substantially bigger; surfaced: 1,494 tonnes and Submerged: 1,599 tonnes with a crew of 24
- German Type 209 is a development of the 206 and comes in many variations, the smallest of which is the Type 209/1100 and the largest the Type 209/1500. The latter displaces 1810t submerged. Its range is 11,000 nmi. at 10 knots while surfaced and 400 nmi. at 4 knots while submerged. Complement is 36
The U-209PN ordered by the Portuguese Navy is actually a Type 214. This displaces 1,690 t (surfaced), 1,860 t (submerged). Range is 12,000 miles surfaced, crew 27. Very similar to Type 212A: 1,830 tonnes submerged, 27 men.
- China's Type 039 Song class: 2,250 tons submerged, crew 60.
- Russia's Kilo class; Surfaced: 2,300-2,350 tons, Submerged:3,000-4,000 tons full load, crew 52

For a fledgeling submarine service, a small boat like 206 may just be the ticket: small crew, little need for infrastructure, great for training, usefull for monitoring the Strait of Malacca (one of the most important shipping lanes in the world) and the Gulf of Thailand (there are some teritorial disputes between Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam). In addition to hunting other subs and ships, submarines can also be used to conduct reconnaissance and land special forces.