The army has opened a bidding contest to fix its 350-million-baht airship that has not flown since it crash-landed in Pattani during a mission late last year.
An army source said the surveillance airship which crash-landed on Dec 13 at the 15th Infantry Division in Nong Chik district of Pattani has not yet been repaired but a budget for 50 million baht had now been approved.
The crash took place while the airship was patrolling the skies during Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's visit to the region.
Two military pilots and two technicians were on board when the airship crashed. They escaped with minor injuries.
The Internal Security Operation Command (Isoc), which owns the airship, has asked the Department of Army Transportation to help open the bidding process, the source said.
News of the repair work comes amid conflicting media reports that suggest the airship may in fact be decommissioned.
On Tuesday, Thai PBS reported that the army had decommissioned the airship, which was purchased in 2009 during the tenure of former army chief Anupong Paochinda.
Thai PBS said the army spent about 450 million baht buying the airship. It also reported the airship could not be repaired.
Army deputy spokesman Col Winthai Suvari rejected the Thai PBS report, saying the army has never issued any order to decommission the airship.
The military purchased the airship to restore peace in the three troubled southern Muslim-dominated provinces amid criticism that the purchase would be a waste of state funds.
When the army initially bought the airship, it had to pay an additional 50 million baht to the American airship manufacturer to get the airship off the ground, according to reports.
(Bangkok Post)
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