China, which has the largest navy in the world, with about 355 vessels in its arsenal besides a mammoth shipbuilding industry, is facing a crisis that questions its naval supremacy.
An attempt by China to supply a Yuan-class submarine to Thailand has hit a snag due to a lack of engines for propelling the submarine. As a result, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has warned that the deal with China would be scrapped if Beijing was unable to fit the engines specified in the purchase agreement.
In April 2017, the Thai government authorized its Royal Navy to purchase three Yuan-class submarines from China for 36 billion baht (US$1.05 billion). However, due to budget constraints, just one submarine – now valued at 13.5 billion baht ($403 million) – was approved, while the other two were shelved.
The submarine’s engines were to be provided by Germany’s Motoren- und Turbinen-Union (MTU) under the deal, but the German company was unable to sell them to China owing to an arms embargo since they are classified as military/defense items.
China has reportedly offered reverse-engineered Chinese-made engines certified by German MTU but the same was turned down by Thailand authorities that insist on the original term of the agreement to be followed by the Chinese side.
In another incident, Pakistan had signed an agreement with Beijing in 2015 to purchase 8 Yuan-class submarines. Out of the 8 submarines, 4 each were to be built in China and Pakistan.
Congratulations! Pakistan...
Read Full Story: https://eurasiantimes.com/worlds-biggest-naval-power-china-struggles-with-submarine-tech/
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.