April 5, 2011
By Avudh Panananda
The Nation
The Navy’s used submarine shopping plan lacks foresight and will likely lead to higher costs in the future.
The country saw its first submarine deployment in 1938 when four vessels constructed in Japan, including the HTMS Matchanu, took part in coastal battles during the Franco-Siam War and World War II.
The four boats were decommissioned in 1951 due to both a lack of spare parts- because Japan was barred from weapons production – and political reprisal following a Navy-led coup attempt.
And for the past 60 years, the Navy’s big dream has been to rebuild its submarine squadron.
In modern ocean warfare, a battle is fought along three dimensions – in the air, on the surface and under water. From a tactical viewpoint, the Navy has a legitimate reason to try to improve its undersea capability.
The Gulf of Thailand covers about 300,000 square kilometres and borders on four coastal states – Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam. About one-third of the area is under continental shelf claims.
No comments:
Post a Comment