Military Committee probes HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej gun failure

Matichon•Politics•10d ago

Reader Briefing

The House of Representatives' Military Committee has demanded the Royal Thai Navy provide documentation regarding the malfunctioning Phalanx CIWS on HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej within 14 days.

•The Military Committee met with Royal Thai Navy representatives on September 10 to discuss the unusable Phalanx CIWS on HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej.
•The Royal Thai Navy stated that JUSMAG informed them that the Phalanx system is an old model with no available spare parts.
•The Military Committee has given the Royal Thai Navy 14 days to provide the shipbuilding contract and communication logs with Hanwha Ocean and the gun manufacturer.
•The committee warned that failure to provide clarity may lead to reports being sent to the State Audit Office and the Comptroller General's Department.

Overview

•On September 10, Ekkarat Udom-amnuay announced the results of a Military Committee meeting with Royal Thai Navy representatives.
•The Phalanx CIWS on HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej is unusable, and the Royal Thai Navy reports that the system is an obsolete model lacking spare parts.
•The Royal Thai Navy previously sought repairs from Hanwha Ocean, who is the ship supplier but not the manufacturer of the Phalanx system.
•Analayo Kosakul stated that the Royal Thai Navy has not yet returned a 1.5 billion baht performance bond to Hanwha Ocean.
•Ekkarat Udom-amnuay questioned whether the Royal Thai Navy purchased obsolete equipment or failed to prepare spare parts during the contract phase.
•The Military Committee requires the shipbuilding contract and correspondence between the Royal Thai Navy, Hanwha Ocean, and the manufacturer within 14 days.
•The committee suggested the Royal Thai Navy negotiate with Hanwha Ocean to fix the Phalanx gun before signing a new frigate shipbuilding contract.
•The Naval Ordnance Department did not cooperate as expected during the meeting regarding the TOR for new frigates.

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Source: Matichon (Original)

Key Quotes

Ekkarat Udom-amnuay

"cannot answer yet"

ยังตอบไม่ได้

Key Entities

Person

Ekkarat Udom-amnuay(เอกราช อุดมอำนวย)

Chairman of the Military Committee of the House of Representatives and MP for Bangkok from the People's Party.

Analayo Kosakul(อนาลโย กอสกุล)

Advisor to the Military Committee.

Organization

Military Committee of the House of Representatives(กมธ.การทหาร สภาผู้แทนราษฎร)

A parliamentary committee investigating the Royal Thai Navy's equipment issues and shipbuilding contracts.

Royal Thai Navy(กองทัพเรือ)ℹ️

The military branch responsible for HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej and the procurement of new frigates.

Hanwha Ocean(บริษัท Hanwha Ocean)ℹ️

The ship supplier for HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej, formerly known as DSME, and winner of a new frigate bid.

Joint US Military Advisory Group (JUSMAG)(คณะที่ปรึกษาทางการทหารของสหรัฐฯ ประจำประเทศไทย)

The US military advisory body that informed the Royal Thai Navy about the lack of spare parts for the Phalanx system.

State Audit Office(สำนักงานการตรวจเงินแผ่นดิน)

The agency the Military Committee may notify to investigate the Royal Thai Navy's dealings.

Comptroller General's Department(กรมบัญชีกลาง)ℹ️

The agency the Military Committee may notify to investigate the Royal Thai Navy's dealings.

Naval Ordnance Department(กรมสรรพาวุธทหารเรือ)ℹ️

The naval department involved in the TOR for new frigates that failed to cooperate fully with the committee.

HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej(เรือหลวงภูมิพลอดุลยเดช)ℹ️

The frigate experiencing Phalanx CIWS system failure.

People's Party(พรรคประชาชน)

The political party of MP Ekkarat Udom-amnuay.

Place

Parliament(รัฐสภา)ℹ️

The location where the Military Committee announcement took place.