South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) is lining up a plan to offer additional frigates to the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) with a view to supporting a Thai ambition to construct the vessels locally.
In December 2018 DSME delivered to the RTN a 122 m DW3000-class frigate under a THB14.6 billion (USD484 million) contract signed between the Thai government and DSME in August 2013. The DW3000 frigate derives its design from the Gwang Gae To Daewang (KDX-1)-class destroyer, three of which are in service with the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN).
A Thai programme to procure an additional frigate is expected to be launched in the near future and one or more additional vessels are anticipated to be required following that, a representative of DSME told Jane's at the Defense and Security (D&S) 2019 show in Bangkok.
(Jane's)