The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) held an anointing ceremony for its newest Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ship, HTMS Chang (792), on Saturday, 18 May, at Sattahip Naval Base in Chonburi province. The ceremony was officiated by Thailand’s reigning monarch, King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Named after an island in Thailand’s Trat province, HTMS Chang (792) is the largest LPD in Southeast Asia. The vessel was constructed by the China Shipbuilding Trading Company (CSSC) at Shanghai’s Hudong Zhonghua shipyard under a 2019 contract valued at USD 200.7 million, and was delivered in April 2023.
The HTMS Chang, also known as the Type 071ET, is an export version of China’s Type 071 (NATO: Yuzhao-class) LPD, with eight ships of this class currently serving in China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) since 2007. Delivered to Thailand under the FFBNW (Fit For But Not With) status, the ship’s advanced electronics, sensors, and weapons will be installed separately by the RTN.
Since taking delivery of the ship in 2023, the service has conducted a series of qualification tests and crew training. Following the anointing ceremony, the navy will begin outfitting the ship with various electronics and weapon systems. The budget allocated for this installation is THB 920 million (approximately USD 25.5 million), involving companies such as Leonardo, Thales, Navantia, Aselsan, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Hartech Technologies, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
As the largest LPD in the Southeast Asia region, HTMS Chang (792) has a displacement of around 25,000 tonnes. The ship measures 210 metres in length, 28 metres in width, and has a draft of 7 metres. It is crewed by 196 personnel and can embark 650 fully equipped troops. The well deck can accommodate up to four 150-ton class hovercraft (Landing Craft Air Cushion / LCAC), and it has a large hangar capable of housing and maintaining four medium-sized helicopters, along with two landing pads at the aft section.
Currently, the ship is temporarily armed with two 12.7 mm heavy machine guns and two Oerlikon 20 mm cannons. Upon completion of the fitting-out process, it is expected to be equipped with a 76 mm main cannon, two 30 mm or 40 mm cannons, and up to four decoy launchers.
Photo: AAG
The Tournai, the third vessel in the Belgian-Dutch robotic Mine Counter Measure (rMCM) programme, was launched on 2nd July 2024…
Turkish Airlines has placed an order for four additional Boeing 777 Freighters, further solidifying its position in the global air…
Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), a member of the SATS Group, has increased its cargo handling capacity by 60% at Adolfo…
The Indonesian Navy (TNI Angkatan Laut/TNI AL) is set to enhance its Military Sealift Command (Komando Lintas Laut Militer/Kolinlamil) by…
Estonian developer of robotics and autonomous systems, Milrem Robotics, has opened a centre of excellence for ground robotics in Poland.…
AirAsia X (AAX) has introduced a new route to Nairobi, Kenya, via Kuala Lumpur, starting on 15 November 2024. This…
PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) is actively seeking to expand its market reach into Africa and Latin America, focusing on the…
Korean Air has revised its cabin service protocols to bolster passenger and crew safety in response to increasing turbulence incidents,…
Cebu Pacific (CEB), the Philippines’s largest airline has signed a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus for the purchase…
Boeing has delivered the first CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopter to the U.S. Army as part of the service’s ongoing…
Air Astana is set to increase its flight services between Kazakhstan and China, following new agreements from the China-Central Asia…
Emirates has announced the first cities to be served by its newly refurbished Boeing 777 cabin interiors. The airline will…
Airbus has signed a binding term sheet agreement with Spirit AeroSystems, considering the potential acquisition of several major Airbus-related activities.…
Jens Fehlinger has been named the new CEO of Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS), effective 1 October 2024. He will…
The Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement (OCCAR) has commissioned Fincantieri to construct the fourth submarine in the U212NFS…
French shipbuilder Naval Group has handed over the Gowind corvette Al Emarat to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday (Jun.…
TE Connectivity (TE), a leader in connectivity and sensors, has expanded its VITA 66 optical backplane interconnect family with the…
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and Lockheed Martin are collaborating to provide Net-Enabled Weapons (NEW) capability for the MQ-9B…
Boeing has completed the upgrade and life extension of the first two service life modification (SLM) F/A-18 Block III Super…
Safran Helicopter Engines and MTU Aero Engines have formed a joint venture to enable the joint development of a new…
Preliminary May 2024 traffic figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) show solid expansion in both international…
Leonardo has announced that its AW609 tiltrotor programme set another major industry capability milestone after its first successful ship trial,…
Challenge Group and China Henan Aviation, the holding company of Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (IATA: CGO), have signed a Memorandum…
At a recent event held at Kopter's facility in Mollis, Switzerland, Leonardo announced the appointment of Aero Facility as the…
Vard Marine Inc. (VARD), part of Fincantieri, has announced Thordon Bearings Inc. as a preferred supplier for the VIGILANCE project,…
The GOES-U weather satellite, constructed by Lockheed Martin for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was launched from NASA's…
Sener, a Spanish industrial engineering and technology group, has delivered the first units of servo-actuators for the Lilium Jet, which…
Indonesian state-owned land systems defence company, PT PINDAD, has announced plans to develop a lighter version of the Harimau (Tiger)…
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is reportedly exploring the potential procurement of Russia's Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO: Felon) or South…
Korean Air has announced an expansion of its cargo Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) programme in partnership with global logistics company…
Headquartered in Singapore with reporters spread across all major regions, GBP Aerospace & Defence is a leading media house that publishes three publications that serve the aerospace and defence sector - Asian Defence Technology, Asian Airlines & Aerospace and Daily News. Known industry-wide for quality journalism, GBP Aerospace & Defence is present at more international tradeshows and exhibitions than any other competing publication in the region.
For over three decades, our award-winning team of reporters has been producing top-notch content to help readers stay abreast of the latest developements in the field of commercial aviation, MRO, defence, and Space.
Copyright 2024. GBP. All Rights Reserved.
Home Defence & Security Space Commercial Aviation Maintence Repair & Overhaul Daily News Events About Us
2024 GBP all rights reserved.