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Discussion 1 : 28/09/2012 at 08:09 AM

Khun LazarisBK #24, I hope Airbus already fixed the A-380's exploding engine, and cracking wing. I heard the Qantas' A-380 had a really close call, and barely had time to make an emergency landing, after exploding fan blades pierced the fuselage and wing.

Discussion 2 : 27/09/2012 at 01:40 PM

Finally the air ship could be floated but to stay afloat remains a big question ? How can such procurement being make without assurance of its performance ?? Really doubtful...I guessed ???

Discussion 3 : 27/09/2012 at 12:27 PM

Since all it does is sit in it's hanger and sucking up money, could using this thing for advertising and flying it around events help with some of it's costs? Might not be to far fetched to at least make it work for it's own maintenance costs... Is that feasible?

Discussion 4 : 27/09/2012 at 11:40 AM

get something that doesn't work and keep charging gas money from the taxpayer!. that simply out smart the public. but still in luck what the general got just the blimp which never fly. it would been if a fleet of submarine got approved which were or will never be on the service, the maintainance fee and petro still charging a large sum of cash each year from the taxpayer. after all it is not a bad idea at all.

Discussion 5 : 27/09/2012 at 11:23 AM

pete Discussion 6 : A380's are already proven airworthy so they only need to have their pilots trained and endorsed to fly these babies. Being Thai they will probably realise they have problems when they roll one up to a gate and it does not fit. Gates need to be modified to take the different size.

Discussion 6 : 27/09/2012 at 10:03 AM

spending another 50 million baht of tax payers money in a bad investment. when will the military be held responsible for these decisions?

Discussion 7 : 27/09/2012 at 09:50 AM

Never mind the logic, just enjoy the humour. The "land of smiles" is becoming the "land of laughs".

Discussion 8 : 27/09/2012 at 09:50 AM

The purchase of this white elephant has been as transparent as a sheet of steel. The government should make a full disclosure of all associated costs including those recovered from the supplier, (if any), due to defective equipment not meeting purchase specifications. Thais need to be continually reminded how much tax revenue wasted by incompetence and corruption in procurement departments. It’s your money folks the government is wasting folks so speak up and complain.

Discussion 9 : 27/09/2012 at 09:20 AM

50 million baht to patch up an oversized balloon?!? Heck, I'll do the job for Bt.49 million, spend a million baht on gluing strips of rubber on the thing, then put the 48 million baht in my Caymen Island bank account, right alongside Thaksin's bank account. I was going to make a joke about ballooning rip-offs, but the punchline is too obvious.

Discussion 10 : 27/09/2012 at 08:59 AM

Disc #16, these were Military actions because the police, who should have ended them, were unable to do anything. Now the Military are being lambasted because they took action. How about asking where the police were during this time. Oh, that right. Collecting "fines" from motorists. We all know the speed limit in Bangkok is THB200 !

Discussion 11 : 27/09/2012 at 08:50 AM

A lot of hot air, and a lot of money being wasted.....Pretty much sums up a lot of situations here.

Discussion 12 : 27/09/2012 at 08:31 AM

Wasn't it Chawalit who bought Chinese army tanks because they were cheaper than American? Then it turned out they were too heavy for Thailand's soil and couldn't be used (except in urban areas for coups). They look nice though.

Discussion 13 : 27/09/2012 at 08:26 AM

"Army not in action : When government installations are occupied and ransacked (Government House) Occupation of vital state airports, Suvarnabhumi, Don Muang, Phuket with huge losses for the country as a consequence." Why should these be military actions? Would they be in the UK, US or Australia?

Discussion 14 : 27/09/2012 at 08:20 AM

So they paid 350 million for something that didn't work. Now they are going to pay the manufacturer another 50 million to make it work. Does something seem wrong here?

Discussion 15 : 27/09/2012 at 08:16 AM

300,000 BHT refill per month x 12 equals 3.6 Mill. What happened to the other 21.4 Mill the army spend for refills last year. Typical Thai 'admin' fee? from iPhone application.

Discussion 16 : 27/09/2012 at 08:07 AM

The army bought bomb detection devices that don't work, and they bought an airship that doesn't work. Most sensible organisations would check and test what they are purchasing before they commit huge sums of money. Why is something so basic beyond the ability of the Thai Army?

Discussion 17 : 27/09/2012 at 07:55 AM

IAI RQ-7 drone system cost $15.5 million per system with additional cost of each drone of $750,000. So, with a small fleet of these drones, pack with all kinds of sensor, camera, and datalink, the Military can pretty much cover all of the area in the Deep South 24/7, doing surveillance of terrorist suspects, catching IED planters, as well as, providing our ground force with "Eye in the Sky" tracking the movement of the terrorists at all time. One bullet hole will easily sink this big, slow, and noisy blimp to the ground. So, it's one thing to fly a blimp over a golf tournament, but quite another to fly it over a war zone.

Discussion 18 : 27/09/2012 at 07:12 AM

It's not too late to scrap the project and channel the money to a better method of air surveillance. The airship is just not suitable for the jungle terrain of the south. It's slow to move around and cant respond quickly to reach troubled locations. The money for repairs and maintenance are better off spend on maintaining a fleet if surveillance helicopters which has better mobility, respond quicker and has fire power. The army may loss some face but it's a much more practical and better operationally. Is the army not accountable to the strategic value of their spending?

Discussion 19 : 27/09/2012 at 07:12 AM

Someone needs to teach these officials about two things: 1. Sunk costs are just that - and should not be considered when deciding further investment. 2. Do not pour good money after bad....

Discussion 20 : 27/09/2012 at 06:48 AM

Apparently the US military has an airship under flight test for observation missions etc - so the principle is not so way out. In the south I would think drones (for observation only) would be a proven alternative - at least we know they fly BTW D4@android the submarines were a navy not an army idea

Discussion 21 : 27/09/2012 at 06:31 AM

Disc 2 khunjb: Just for your information we don't live for the past, we plan for the future. In this case history is of no help whatsoever.

Discussion 22 : 27/09/2012 at 06:26 AM

Purchase of commercial use airship originally designed for advestisement first, then followed by a proposed buying of world war II second hand U-boat submarine for training purpose. The army always has a brilliant idea to spend the revenue.

Discussion 23 : 27/09/2012 at 06:18 AM

Almost all aircraft and ships undergo acceptance trials before handover to the buyer so that any problems, large or small, can be rectified before payment is made. I note THAI are taking delivery of an Airbus A380 at the end of the week - I trust they put it through acceptance trial first.

Discussion 24 : 27/09/2012 at 05:41 AM

What the Thai military is missing the most is ‘intelligence’. I thought the sky-ship had gone the way of the equally foolish request for an old submarine. If this money were spent to properly outfit the soldiers in the raging Thai civil war battleground of the south, provide them with proper reliable equipment, ‘bomb sniffing dogs’, and safer vehicles than motorcycles and back beds of pick-up trucks then some intelligence might prevail. But no, instead they’re fixated on the ‘balloon’, “saving face” and showing the critics that they can “get it up”. Maybe they plan on stuffing it with the new Thai Viagra rip-off called Sidegra.

Discussion 25 : 27/09/2012 at 05:24 AM

Disc. 1 I'm afraid that throwing in the word, "sensible" would kill the whole idea. As a matter of fact, the only payload that they are concerned with is whatever fits under a table. I suppose the time is long past in which to justify the whole thing with at least one sensible use... Oops, see, I did it too.

Discussion 26 : 27/09/2012 at 05:14 AM

I hear they will be plating the zeppelin in lead to thwart plans by insurgents to use x-ray beams. This is great news, I always wanted to see Lead Zeppelin. Seriously though, this will make for great target practise for any anti-govt group or individuals.

Discussion 27 : 27/09/2012 at 05:04 AM

History have showed where the army has been in action : a) military coups b) protection of Bangkok main shopping and business area c)border fighting with Cambodia d) suppression of terrorists in the South .... Army not in action : When government installations are occupied and ransacked (Government House) Occupation of vital state airports, Suvarnabhumi, Don Muang, Phuket with huge losses for the country as a consequence. Does the army need another toy or spend more money on a toy that won't work, well I don't think so....

Discussion 28 : 27/09/2012 at 03:03 AM

The Thai Army airship was made by the Aeros corporation and the envelope has seams that are glued together and not heat welded like the more modern Skyship series. The glue fails in hot humid conditions and the envelope then leaks a lot of expensive Helium. If the Thai Army want a sensible airship they should buy a Skyship 600 from Skyship Services Inc in Elizabeth City North Carolina, as the Skyship will cost far less in the long term and is a much more capable safer airship. For more information see: www.hybridairship.net