The Royal Thai Navy has defended its training drone procurement, stating that the purchase is transparent and in line with Defence Ministry regulations.
Following the criticism of the Naval Ordnance Department’s 49.8-million-baht procurement of Phoenix Jet Unmanned Aerial Targets from Air Affairs Australia, Navy spokesman Adm Pokkhrong Monthatpalin stated that the purchase was in line with regulations by the Defence Ministry, meaning that the authorization was made with the navy’s chief approval.
The spokesperson explained that the department’s committee has already assessed the firm that won the contract and determined that the purchase was the appropriate choice. He further clarified the transparency of the contract, saying that it was revised twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic to enable online training and to reschedule delivery.
According to the spokesperson, the Navy has revised the payment into four installments, and the final installment will be made after the “setting to work” phase, during which company experts will travel to Thailand to assist with the settings. He added that although Air Affairs Australia was acquired by Qinetic of the United Kingdom last year, the mother company has affirmed that it will assign a company as its representative in Thailand and will send technical experts to help with the settings within June 2023.
The Navy spokesperson assured the public that these procurements by the Navy are conducted with transparency, with the objective of modernizing and improving the Navy to protect the country and Thai citizens. (NNT)
