The pictures from South Korea showed Thailand's DW-3000F first frigates completed the tests and will hit the road to the country in August.
South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) recently announced that its first DW-3000F guided missile frigates were built for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) under a contract of 416 USD Tachin and number 471 have completed the examination and evaluation.
The ship will be transported to Thailand in August and will join the RTN fleet in January 2019, when it will be the largest and most powerful ship in Southeast Asia, crossing the Formidable class of Singapore.
As planned, Thailand will receive technology transfer from Korea to build the second DW-3000F in the country itself. It is known that the battleship developed from the prototype Gwanggaeto (KDX-1) destroyer.
The DW-3000F has a length of 123 m; width of 14.4 m; draft of 8 m; The 3,700 tonnes full load displacement is the largest ship ever exported from Korea.
The Tachin is equipped with state-of-the-art CODLAG dynamics, a combination of diesel-electric and gas-turbine engines, for a top speed of 30 knots, a range of 4,000 km in cruise speed 18 knots.
The main sensors of the Tachin are the Sea Giraffe 4A long-range radar with a reconnaissance range of over 350 km; It comes with the Sea Giraffe AMB mid range radar (180 km long range).
There are also three navigation radars on board; sonar system in drag and tether; 1 surveillance camera (including thermal imaging and TV); 2 decoy launchers.
Weapon equipment of the Tachin consists of a 76.2 mm Oto Melara Super Rapid gun; Two Phalanx close-in weapon systems; Two DS-30M Mark-2 30 mm automatic small calibre gun; Two 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns.
Most noticeable on board is the Mk 41 vertical launcher with eight launch tubes that can carry 32 RIM-162 ESSM mid-range air defense missiles, or eight RIM-66/67 SM-2MR/ERs, in addition. It also launched the RUM-139 VL ASROC anti-submarine.
Among the ships were the RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship cruise missile launcher and the Mk 44 light anti-submarine torpedo.
By acquiring the DW-3000F, purchasing three Chinese AIP submarines and launching a domestic mini-submarine project, it is expected that in the near future the Royal Thai Navy will regain its position as the regional superpower that once held in the past.