Thailand ramps up domestic defense production capabilities
Felix Kim
Thailand’s government is accelerating efforts to reduce its dependence on arms imports to counter foreign and domestic threats.
Reforms such as the Defense Technology Act of 2019 and Modernisation Plan: Vision 2026 gave the country’s Defense Technology Institute (DTI) a higher level of autonomy in partnering with domestic and foreign defense firms to develop and produce advanced defense systems.
The reforms have spurred growth of the domestic defense industry by prioritizing next-generation defense systems while promoting technology transfers, according to the Lowy Institute, a Sydney, Australia-based international affairs think tank.
Key recent developments include DTI’s role in developing armored vehicles for the Royal Thai Armed Forces, as well as innovations in unmanned aerial vehicles, rockets and virtual reality based support technology, all in collaboration with domestic private sector defense firms and academic institutions.
“DTI, as the government agency established by the Defence Technology Act 2019, is one of the key ecosystems for supporting and promoting the expansion of the Thai defense industry,” Gen. Choochart Buakhao, DTI’s director-general, told Bangkok-based Asian Military Review magazine in August 2022.
Two four-wheel-drive armored tactical vehicles — the “D-Tiger,” a multipurpose vehicle (MPV) and the “D-Lion,” an infantry combat vehicle (ICV) — were unveiled at the Thai Defence & Security 2022 exposition in Bangkok in August 2022. The 12-metric-ton D-Tiger was developed by DTI in a joint venture with Chaiseri Metal and Rubber Co. Ltd., a Thai defense firm. Designed for objectives including command-and-control and infantry operations, it uses local technology and components to serve the nation’s armed forces potentially other Indo-Pacific militaries.
DTI teamed with South African defense manufacturer Paramount and another Thai firm, Jatunapas Co. Ltd., to launch production in Thailand of the D-Lion, a version of Paramount’s Mbombe 4 next-generation ICV. The 13.3-metric-ton ICV supports a two-person crew with capacity for four Soldiers and a gunner.
The Royal Thai Armed Forces have also adopted the D-eyes 04 unmanned aircraft system (UAS), pictured, a domestically produced drone developed by DTI and Thailand’s Office of Military Research. Introduced in November 2021, the 6.5-meter-long UAS supports intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, and replaces systems such as the Searcher II, an Israeli import. Also in 2021, DTI inaugurated its Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Centre.
DTI collaborated with two Thai universities to explore options for unmanned explosive ordnance (EOD) disposal robots, and in May 2022, Thailand acquired 10 such robots from Spanish manufacturer Aunav.
In rocket systems, DTI’s signature development is the DTI-2 122 mm multiple launch system, which had initial test firings in 2020. With a10-kilometer range, the DTI-2 features domestically manufactured ordnance, firing system and launch tubes.
DTI has also developed virtual reality-based training equipment, including a virtual firing/shooting range, a tank simulator and an EOD robot simulator.
The institute also has a program to develop offshore patrol vessels, targeting export markets such as the Philippines.
DTI’s autonomy is its strength, Buakhao said. “We can engage in defense industry business, invest domestically and internationally by forming a joint venture, and by providing defense services and performing testing certification for defense products,” he said.
Felix Kim is a FORUM contributor reporting from Seoul, South Korea.
IMAGE CREDIT: ROYAL THAI ARMY
