The Royal Thai Army Considers the Procurement of Additional VN1 8x8 Wheeled Armoured Vehicles in Phase 4

29 Agustus 2024

Royal Thai Army (RTA)'s Norinco VN1 8x8 wheeled armored vehicles included Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) and SM4A Self-Propelled Mortar variants (photos: Royal Thai Army)

Royal Thai Army planned to procure additional VN1 8x8 for 987,000,000 Baht ($29,100,471) in Fiscal Year 2025 from Chinese firm Norinco.

Currently, the Royal Thai Army (RTA) has procured VN1 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicles in the VN1 APC version, 120mm SM4A heavy grenade launcher armoured vehicles, VS27 Recovery Vehicle, VE36 command vehicle, VN1 Ambulance armoured vehicles from Norinco, a Chinese arms manufacturer, Phase-1 38 vehicles, Phase-2 34 vehicles, and Phase-3 39 vehicles, totaling 111 vehicles of all types. It was assigned to the 10th Cavalry Battalion, 7th Cavalry Battalion and 15th Cavalry Battalion, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, which was a reconnaissance cavalry unit to an armored cavalry unit.

In early August 2024, General Pana Klaewplodthuk, Chief of Staff of the Royal Thai Army, along with a group of Thai Army officers, explained to the Subcommittee on ICT Equipment and Revolving Funds in the Special Committee on Budget Consideration for the Fiscal Year 2025 that, in addition to cutting the budget of the Ministry of Defense for the Royal Thai Army by approximately 427,000,000 baht ($12,589,565) (mostly administrative budgets), The Royal Thai Army has also requested a budget allocation of approximately 987,000,000 baht ($29,100,471) for the fourth phase of the procurement of 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicles from Norinco, the People's Republic of China, which is understood to be the procurement of the VN1 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicles in addition to those ordered and delivered in the three previous phases.

The units under the direct control of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Cavalry Division, 1st Cavalry Division are the 7th Cavalry Battalion, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 7th Battalion and the 15th Cavalry Battalion, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 15th Battalion. The former was a cavalry reconnaissance unit (wheeled) using V-150 4x4 wheeled armored vehicles, while the 7th Cavalry Battalion, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 10th Battalion used BTR-3E1 8x8 wheeled armored vehicles for a while before transferring the vehicles to the 2nd Infantry Regiment, King's Guard and the 21st Infantry Regiment, King's Guard, 2nd Infantry Division, King's Guard.

Even though there are no details on how many VN1 wheeled armored vehicles will be procured in Phase 4 and what models, but from the fact that the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Division 2 has received almost all models including the 120mm mortar model, except for the 105mm ST-1 8x8 wheeled armored vehicle with a 90mm tank cannon model that should replace the V-150 wheeled armored vehicle with a 90mm tank cannon model that is still in use in the unit, it is understood that the 4th phase procurement may have the ST-1 model as well.

(AAG)