Army aims to buy six new copters

The army plans to buy six more attack helicopters to replace three of its Cobra helicopters which will be decommissioned in two years time following almost 30 years of service, Maj Gen Weerayuth Intaworn, the director of the Army Aviation Centre (AAC), announced yesterday.

He said an army committee will travel abroad next month to examine various models of helicopters offered for sale by manufacturers in the US, France, Russia and Turkey, among other countries.

Details regarding the budget for the purchase have not yet been discussed and the helicopters will be procured on a gradual basis, Maj Gen Weerayuth said.

He also said that another four helicopters which Thailand bought from the US under its Excess Defence Articles (EDA) programme will also be grounded in the near future when their service periods expire.

An army source said that attack helicopters, such as the US Apache, are expensive, at an average price of 1 billion baht, and the army may consider cheaper options such as Z-10 from China, the Russian-made KA-52 or Tiger from France.

Maj Gen Weerayuth said the army will also decommission the last 12 of its UH-1H helicopters in 2020 after having been in service for more than 30 years.

In addition to the three Cobra helicopters and four AH-1Z Vipers, which were bought under the EDA programme, the AAC currently has 12 Black Hawk helicopters from the US, four AW-129, 10 AW-139 and four AW-149 helicopters from Italy, eight Fennex from France and five Mi-17 from Russia.

Maj Gen Weerayuth said using various models of helicopters had not caused any trouble for army pilots as they have been given regular training on new technologies.

He also denied several reports that the AW-149, which were procured recently, failed to take off after maintenance of some engine parts.

He insisted that the AAC had checked the helicopters properly to ensure they meet the specifications set by the army before taking delivery of them.

He said the AAC’s legal team was considering legal action against some media outlets for spreading false information.