Thai navy takes aim at Korean subs

The navy would be happy to buy South Korean submarines instead of used German ones as instructed by the defence minister if the South Korean ones were brand new.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has proposed that the navy buy two submarines from South Korea instead of ordering six used ones from Germany, a source at the Defence Ministry said yesterday.

Gen Prawit believed it would be more worthwhile getting the South Korean submarines than six used German Type U-206A class ones. The price tag for the German submarines was estimated at 7.7 billion baht but they may be usable for only another six or seven years. Buying brand-new submarines would be more beneficial although the cost is higher.

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