The Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) Company of the Republic of Korea (RoK) announced that the DW-3000F frigate ordered by the Royal Thai Navy had passed all tests and would be delivered to the Southeast Asian nation in August.

A DW-3000F frigate (Photo: Thai Navy)

According to the DSME announcement, this is the first warship of its kind the company has built for the Royal Thai Navy under a contract worth 416 million USD.

The 3,700-tonne frigate, with 123m in length and 14.4m in width, is the largest ship the RoK has exported to a foreign country. Once joining the Royal Thai Navy’s fleet in January 2019, it will become the largest and strongest warship in Southeast Asia, surpassing the Formidable of Singapore.

Under the agreement between the two countries, the Korean side will transfer technology to Thailand to build the second DW-300F frigate domestically.

Military experts said with the purchase of the DW-3000F building technology and three Chinese submarines, and the kickstart of a self-made mini submarine manufacturing project, the Royal Thai Navy seems to set an ambitious target of regaining its position as the leading navy in the region.

(Source: VNA)