Thailand set to buy Israeli 'killer drones' after $112 million deal: reports

The Royal Thai Navy is set to sign a 4 billion baht (around $112 million) deal with an Israeli defence firm for drones, according to local media.

The navy will buy seven unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Israeli weapons makers Elbit Systems after winning a tender for a drone system, Nation Thailand and Bangkok Post reported on Friday.

Five companies – from Turkey, China, the US, and two from Israel -  had proposed UAVs to the navy as part of the procurement process with the Israeli firm winning, a ministry source told Bangkok Post.

The contract is still in its drafting stages and is expected to be signed within the next month to make it official, Nation Thailand reported Vice Admiral Pokkrong Monthatphalin as saying.

The navy will reportedly receive seven Hermes 900 drones as part of the deal, which Elbit Systems say will be "equipped with a variety of high performance sensors, allowing it to detect ground or maritime targets, over a wide spectral range". 

The Israeli firm announced on Wednesday that it was awarded a $220 million (7.8 billion baht) contract to supply airborne precision munition solutions to a country in the Asia-Pacific - without mentioning which country.

Elbit Systems also announced on Thursday that it was awarded a $548 million (19.5 billion baht) contract "to supply military-wide multi-domain combat networked warfare capabilities to the armed forces of a country in Asia-Pacific", again without stating the buyer.

Thailand and Israel have held official relations since June 1954 and shared a "close and friendly relationship" for over 60 years, according to the Embassy of Israel to Thailand.

The countries have cooperated in various fields including agriculture, technological innovation, education, medicine, and culture.

The New Arab contacted Elbit Systems and the Royal Thai Navy for comment on the reported deal, but did not receive a response by the time of publishing.