An image published in Thai online social media on May 28, 2021 shows an amphibious light tank or Amphibious Assault Vessel (AAV) model Norinco VN16, total 3 vehicles were shipped by cargo ship from China to Thailand.
The vehicle has a camouflage pattern of the Royal Thai Marine Corps. of the Royal Thai Navy which is probably the port of Sattahip Naval Base. That is often a point for sending military vehicles coming by boat from abroad to Thailand
The current series of images contains two images, most likely taken with a mobile phone at dusk and cloudy. One photo shows three VN16 amphibious light tanks being lifted from a cargo ship which contains pictures of port workers and Thai Marines officers in Thai Navy camouflage field uniforms.
Another picture will see the car#1 vehicle labeled with English text stating that the product is Amphibious Armored Assault Vehicle VN16 dimensions, weight and the destination of delivery is Thai Marines, Sattahip District, Chon Buri Province, Thailand, with a short video showing the VN16 moving from the pier to the road.
Last September 2020 on website, the information center for procurement and mid-price, the Royal Thai Navy has announced a project to purchase 3 phase 1 amphibious assault vehicles for 398,143,400 baht ($ 12,579,570.05) from NORINCO, People's Republic of China.
It is understood that three additional second phase amphibious assault vehicles will be purchased in the fiscal year 2022. From the total demand for 6 vehicles, if the project is not cut from the defense budget of 2022 due to the Covid-19 epidemic, Thailand has been facing for many years.
Which the Marine Corps Royal Thai Navy there has been a need for a new tank to replace five Type 69-II main tanks long after it was unable to supply 15 LT-105 ASCOD light tanks from Spain in the 1990s due to defense budget cuts due to the economic crisis in 1997.
The amphibious assault vehicle VN16 will be the new main force of Marine Tank Company, Marine Armored Amphibian Vehicle Battalion, Marine Division, RTMC. By the dissolution of the Marine Assault Amphibian Battalion and Marine Tank Battalion (You can see that the VN16 has the same camouflage paint as the AAV7A1 amphibious vehicle), according to the plan to restructure the force of the new Marine Corps Command.
The VN16 is an export version of an amphibious light tank ZTD-05 stationed in the People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps (PLAMC) designed and manufactured by NORINCO, a Chinese defence industry enterprise.
The Royal Thai Marine Corps is the second export customer for the VN16, following the Venezuelan Bolivarian Marine Corps, supplied with the VN18 belt amphibious infantry combat vehicle, the export version of the ZBD-05 amphibious infantry combat vehicle that the Chinese Marines have.
(AAG)