Navantia Wins Major Contract to Upgrade HTMS Chang Type 071ET LPD

19 Agustus 2024

HTMS Chang (III) - 792 Type 071ET LPD (photo: Uma)

The Subcommittee on ICT Equipment and Revolving Funds in the Special Committee on Budget Consideration for Fiscal Year 2025 of the Thai Parliament met to consider the budget of the Thai Ministry of Defense in early August 2024 and approved the budget for the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) Capability Development Project in the amount of approximately 24,280,000,000 baht ($701,085,971).

In the part of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) that has not been cut and has been approved to be included in the fiscal year 2025, including the project to purchase combat management systems, surveillance systems, fire control systems, weapons systems and gyro systems with related support equipment for the project to increase the capability of combat systems for naval operations of the floating dock landing craft, HTMS Chang (III).

Two Sentinel 30 RWS will equipped HTMS Chang 792 (photo: EM&E)

The system by selection method, budget 920,000,000 baht ($25,330,406), which was later reported in Thai media that the winner of the main contract of the project was Navantia S.A. S.M.E., Spain, for the Combat Management System (CMS) CATIZ type, which is the newest success of Navantia, Spain, and the Royal Thai Navy in 28 years.

Type 071ET LPD (Landing Platform Dock) HTMS Chang (the third ship) in service with the Amphibious and Combat Support Service Squadron (ACSSS) of the Royal Thai Fleet (RTF) is the export version of the Type 071 Landing Platform Dock of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

Spectro XR Electro-Optronic (EO) camera from Elbit Naval Systems of Israel (photo: Elbit)

It will also be fitted with Navantia's DORNA Fire Control System (FCS), two SENTINEL 30 Remote Weapon Stations (RWS) from Escribano Mechanical and Engineering (EM&E) in Spain, which can be armed with 30x173mm Bushmaster II machine guns that can be used in conjunction with the MSI SEAHAWK DS turrets already used on several Royal Thai Navy ships.

The TSA3521 IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) system and TopAxyz gyro system from Thales Nederland BV of the Netherlands, the Spectro XR Electro-Optronic (EO) camera from Elbit Naval Systems of Israel, and the Sea Giraffe 1X 3D surveillance radar from SAAB AB of Sweden, which are interconnected through an open architecture.

Sea Giraffe 1X 3D surveillance radar from SAAB AB of Sweden (photo: SAAB)

The amphibious landing craft HTMS Chang (III) built by the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group (HZ) shipyard in Shanghai, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), a Chinese state-owned shipbuilder, was delivered to the Royal Thai Navy and arrived in Thailand with a one-year ship-blessing ceremony on 25 July 2024.

It was delivered without being fitted with a Combat Management System (CMS), surveillance radar, Fire Control System (FCS), and weapons systems which currently include machine guns. The weapons installations carried out in Thailand consist of four M2 .50cal heavy machine guns on the port side and starboard sides of the ship and two Oerlikon GAM-CO1 20mm machine guns on the port side and right side of the bridge.

DORNA Fire Control System (FCS) from Navantia (photo: Navantia)

After the installation of combat systems and weapons in the first phase of the upgrade, it is understood that a single 76mm naval gun, likely to be a Leonardo 76/62 naval gun from the Italian Leonardo SpA company, including four decoy launchers, will be approved for the second phase of the upgrade in the following fiscal year, in which the Spanish CATIZ CMS system has also been selected to upgrade the capabilities of two offshore patrol vessels of the HTMS Pattani class.

(AAG)