Their delivery is about six months ahead of the scheduled period of March next year because of business competition. He said the early arrival would allow the Thai Army to utilise the vehicles faster than expected. Chalermchai said the tanks were part of the plan to supplement the decommissioned M-41 tanks. The Thai Army bought the Chinese tanks as both countries plan to set up a military hardware repair facility in Thailand in the future. Last year the Thai Army bought three submarines.

Source: The Nation Bangkok October 11, 2017 09:45 UTC