Thailand signs Construction Agreement with China for export variant of Type 071 LPD

A photo from the agreement signing between Thailand and China. Photo c/o Thai Armed Force page.

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has signed a Construction Agreement with China for the construction of an export variant of the Type 071 large landing platform dock (LPD), in a ceremony held in Beiijing on 9 September 2019.

The ship is said to cost THB4 billion (US$130 million), and will become one of the RTN’s largest ships.

The acquisition of a Type 071 LPD from China would help ease the burden to the RTN’s sole LPD, the HTMS Angthong, which was bought from ST Engineering Marine based on the Endurance-class LPD design for THB4.9 billion.

China State Shipbuilding Corporation previously displayed and offered the Type 071 to the RTN, even showing off a scale model showing the ship able to operate three Sikorsky MH-60S  Seahawk naval utility helicopters.


[1] Thai Armed Force Defense Page
[2] Bangkok Post
[3] Chinese Military Review