BANGKOK, Thailand - The Royal Thai Navy is closing in on the final hurdle toward jump-starting its project for a new naval frigate. After the down-selection of Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering as its preferred ship producer, the Navy now is set to make a funding request for a ring-fenced budget of THB13 billion ($436 million) for construction of the new vessel. The ship will be based on Daewoo's 5,000-ton Type-DX II frigate with Royal Thai Navy specifications - such as a Combat Management System connectable to those on the Navy's Project-025 Naresuan class - added. The Thai frigate will be lighter than the Daewoo Type-DX II at 3,000 to 4,000 tons. The Navy hopes to have the ship built and commissioned into service by 2015.
