China Seals The Deal – Thailand Decides To Buy Its MBT 3000 Tanks

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On 16th May 2016 China sealed a lucrative purchase agreement with the Royal Thai Army. The deal was for the delivery of 28 MBT 3000 Tanks to Thailand from China. The tanks are manufactured by a Chinese company called China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO). Delivery started in late 2016 and should be completed by the end of 2018.

China Seals The Deal - Thailand Decides To Buy Its MBT 3000 Tanks
China Seals The Deal – Thailand Decides To Buy Its MBT 3000 Tanks

Trading Partnership Between Thailand and China

Thailand has made China its premier trading partner and this purchase agreement adds to the booming trade taking place between the two countries. This could be because Chinese goods are much cheaper in comparison to western goods. Chinese weapons are definitely very cheap when compared to those from the United States.

Apart from the reasonable prices offered by China, some feel that there may be political reasons why Thailand prefers to trade with China rather than Western countries. This is because China was the first country to acknowledge the Junta following the successful coup in 2014. Most western countries, on the other hand, were against the military coup.

Initially, the USA canceled foreign aid following the coup and relations between Thailand and the USA became strained. However, in recent years the relationship has been restored and Thailand is now a major US ally in Asia. Nevertheless, Thailand still purchases most of its arms from China, not the US.

Thai Military

The Royal Thai Army wants to meet its goal of owning 200 MBT tanks hence they will likely order more tanks from China if this delivery is completed well. Thailand is in the process of replacing outdated M41 Walker Bulldog Tanks that were previously in use by the Thai Army. They are the first country to buy the MBT 3000 tanks from China. The tanks will cost Thailand an estimated $150 million.

Previously Thailand had been procuring their tanks from Ukraine. In 2011 the Thai government purchased forty-nine T-84 Oplot tanks from Ukraine. However, by 2014 only a few had been delivered and conflict within its borders meant that Ukraine was unable to fulfill the rest of the order. This is what led Thailand to turn to China for its MBT tanks.

China Seals The Deal - Thailand Decides To Buy Its MBT 3000 Tanks
China Seals The Deal – Thailand Decides To Buy Its MBT 3000 Tanks

What is an MBT 3000 Tank?

The MBT 3000 Tank also goes by the name VT-4. It is a 52-ton tank that is built specifically for export by the Chinese company NORINCO. It has the same technology that the tanks used by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army have.

The MBT 3000 has a 125mm smoothbore cannon that can fire guided missiles. It is also loaded with a weapon station that can be controlled remotely. Its fire control system has a heavy machine gun as well as a hunter-killer ability, a rangefinder, panoramic sight, and thermal imaging. The tank is protected by an active protection system that makes it difficult for guided missiles to destroy it.

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