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.