On Professional , the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) defended a virtually 50 million baht drone coaching procurement after critics raised considerations concerning the project’s transparency.
Admiral Pokkhrong Monthatpalin, RTN spokesperson, affirmed that the venture was above board while elaborating on the Naval Ordnance Department‘s forty nine.eight million baht acquisition of Phoenix Jet Unmanned Aerial Targets from Air Affairs Australia.
Critics questioned why the deal, finalised in 2020, had not been already implemented, suggesting the purchase was postponed to maintain the value under the 50 million baht threshold essential for higher-level authorisation. Admiral Pokkhrong explained that the RTN had a restricted price range, which led the division to modify existing units underneath contract phrases, with replacements to be supplied later, Bangkok Post reported.
He highlighted that the drone procurement was in accordance with the Defence Ministry rules, which authorised the RTN chief, quite than the department chief, to make the choice. Admiral Pokkhrong also insisted that the department’s committee had rigorously assessed the successful firm, concluding that it was a suitable selection.
The contract, signed on March 10, 2020, underwent two revisions because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The first revision, made on November 26, 2020, accommodated online coaching, whereas the second, made on December 30, 2020, rescheduled delivery.
Admiral Pokkhrong additional revealed that one other amendment in the contract allowed for the ultimate fee of 2.485 million baht to be completed and not using a “setting to work” section. The division requested the naval attaché in Canberra to carry out a manufacturing unit acceptance test due to the continued pandemic, and on-line coaching occurred from April 19 to April 30 this 12 months..g