You're reading: Ukraine preparing another batch of BTRs for shipment to Thailand

Ukraine is preparing to send another batch of 21 BTR armored personnel carriers assembled by domestic defense industry enterprises to Thailand under a contract with the Royal Thai Army.

The customer recently signed an acceptance certificate for 21 Ukrainian BTRs, the press service of the state-run company Ukrspecexport told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday referring to the company’s Director General Serhiy Hromov.

The batch includes 15 BTR-3E1s and six BTR-3RKs, which are modifications of the BTR-3 armored personnel carriers. The BTRs are to be shipped from Odesa by mid-August. When the armored personnel carriers arrive in Thailand in September, they will undergo tests before being finally accepted by the customer.

Ukroboronprom is currently studying the possibility of establishing a service center in Thailand for the maintenance of Ukrainian-produced military equipment.

As reported, Ukraine has been supplying BTR-3E1 armored personnel carriers to Thailand since September 2010.

The contracts for supplies of 233 Ukrainian BTR-3E1s to Thailand concluded in 2006 and 2011 were worth around $270 million, according to open sources.

The main executors of the contracts are Kharkiv-based Morozov Design, as well as Kyiv and Zhytomyr mechanical repair plants, which belong to the Ukroboronprom concern.

The sides are also discussing the possibility of joint assembly of BTR-3E1s in Thailand.

BTR-3E1 is the latest improved version of the BTR-3E.

In September 2011, the countries signed a contract on supplies of 49 Ukrainian Oplot main battle tanks to Thailand.