Royal Thai Navy forces have begun training on a Chinese portable surface-to-air missile acquired from the Chinese military.
Air and Coastal Defense Command chief Rear Adm. Noppadol Suphakorn opened the training exercise for ACDC and Marine Corps artillery regiment personnel July 12 at a newly constructed range in Sattahip.
The shoulder-fired missile can be used against aircraft and cruise missiles. The 2002 QW-18 model, an older variant in the Chinese QW-1 Vanguard series, is equipped with an enhanced dual-band infrared seeker that tracks based on both exhaust heat and temperature difference between the sky and skin of the target.
Thailand approved acquisition of the missile in 2009, but it was not approved for training use until this year.
A Royal Thai naval officer demonstrates how to hold the new weapon when preparing to fire.
