New Asian-built LPDs for Thailand and Myanmar
Two neighbouring Southeast Asian countries are adding LPDs to their naval fleets and both are procuring them from Asian shipbuilders in different countries.
There is increasing focus on developing maritime capabilities in Southeast Asia driven by competition between countries in the region.
On 9 September, Thailand and China signed a deal in Beijing for a single Type 071E LPD to be built by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). As its name suggests, the platform is an export version of the Type 071 operated by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
The deal is reported to be worth some THB6.1
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