Helicopter carrier to arrive next year

Helicopter carrier to arrive next year

BANGKOK (Reuter): The Thai navy's first helicopter carrier
will go into service next year, protecting resources and shipping
lanes in the Gulf of Thailand, a navy official said yesterday.

The 11,400-ton carrier is being built at the Ferrol dockyard
in Barzan, Spain, and the ship, the HMS Chakri Naruebet, is now
60 percent complete and was launched this week.

The carrier, which was ordered in 1992 and will be finished in
March next year, will be equipped with Sikorsky S-70L
helicopters. It cost US$456 million, the navy official said.

The carrier will be based in the Gulf of Thailand where it
will protect offshore resources, including gas fields, shipping
lanes and the Thai coast. It will also help in search and rescue
operations, the official said.