Royal Thai Navy Could be in the Process of Procuring "FK-3" Chinese Medium-Range Air Defense System

18 September 2020

Display stand on KM sharing day in June 2020 (photo : AAG)

At Knowledge Management (KM) sharing day 2020 in 8-12 June 2020, 1st Air Defense Regiment (ADR1), Naval Air and Coastal Defence Command (ACDC), Royal Thai Navy (RTN) display stand presentation was shown 'guidelines for operation of Mobile Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile' classified secret manual and deployment plan with Chinese FK-3 SAM photos.

On 28 June 2019, the Naval Acquisition Management Office issued a notice of a mid-price announcement for the Missile Project Mobile Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile Phase 1.

Budget limit that has been allocated 1,970 million baht ($ 63,982,850). The source of the median price (reference price) was obtained by investigating the market price. According to the rearrangement of each department, each department will have two or more units.

1st Air Defense Regiment has a unit 11th and the 12th Antiaircraft Battalion. And the 2nd Air Defense Regiment has 21th Anti-Aircraft Battalion and the 22nd Anti-Aircraft Battalion, totaling for 2 Regiment there will be a total of 4 requirements.

Manual for operation of mobile medium range SAM (photo : AAG)

Previously, the Royal Thai Navy had a short-range surface-to-air missile, the PL-9 of China, a close-range infrared missile with a range of only 8 km. The towing platform will have a missile  mounted in the rail and fired 4 rounds, but it is understood that it is presently discontinued.

Currently, the Royal Thai Navy has a short-range surface-to-air missile, which is Chinese QW-18, which is a very short range or point defence system, infrared missiles, with a firing range of only 5 km and a portable firing kit can be moved by person, weight 18 kg in total system.

Procurement of medium-range mobile surface-to-air missiles Hence, the demand for short-range surface-to-air missiles, the original Chinese PL-9. Should have at least 1 system for one anti-aircraft battalion of the Regiment.

FK-3 air defense system (photo : Baidu)

FK-3 air defense system

The FK-3 is an export version of the HQ-22 surface-to-air missile deployed in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) developed from the KS-1 family of surface-to-air missiles. Developed as a replacement for the old HQ-2 ground-to-air missile (copy of the Russian S-75).

According to data from China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation Limited (CASIC), a state-owned enterprise that designs and manufactures rocket and missile systems in the People's Republic of China, the FK-3 is an air defense system, medium-range surface-to-air missile that can work in all weather.

The missile adopts semi-active radar homing guidance which, under circumstance of strong electronic interference, automatically changes to radio-command guidance.

Firing test of FK-3 missile (photo : sina)

The system can attack various air targets from fixed wing aircraft this includes UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), cruise missiles, tactical missiles, air-to-ground missiles and rotary wing aircraft including armed helicopters. Has a firing range between 5-100km and a high ceiling between 0.05-27km.

One FK-3 system consists of a commander vehicle, 1 radar base vehicle and three TEL: (Transporter-Erector-Launcher) including 4 missiles, the system will have 12 missiles.

The FK-3 has the ability to simultaneously control the fire of a missile 12 shots to attack 6 simultant targets. So if this is actually confirmed, the FK-3 from China will be the most advanced air defense system deployed in the Royal Thai Armed Forces.

(AAG)