China will begin building a 13.5-billion-baht submarine ordered by the Thai navy on Sept 4, according to a navy source.
The navy and China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co, a Chinese submarine supplier, signed the procurement contract for the Yuan-class S26T submarine, powered by both electricity and diesel, in May last year.
The source said the technical design work has been completed, noting 20 naval architects also took part in the task.
A keel-laying ceremony will be conducted on Sept 4, which will mark the starting point of the construction, the source noted, adding it also falls on the country's Submarine Day.
Held at a shipyard in China's Wuhan, the ceremony will also be attended by navy commander Adm Naris Prathumsuwan and his deputy, Adm Ruechai Ruddit, who is tipped to become the new navy chief in the annual military reshuffle, which will take effect at the beginning of October.
The construction of the submarine could take five years before it is handed over to the navy, the source noted.
Meanwhile, preparations have been made to construct a maintenance facility and dockyard for the submarine at the Sattahip Naval Base in Chon Buri, the source noted.
Personnel and a commander will be selected by 2020.
They will go to China in 2021 to undergo three years of training on how to operate the submarine, which would be finished in late 2023.
In December last year, Adm Naris visited the shipyard in China and met the 20 Thai navy officers working there, the source said. Adm Ruechai also followed suit a month later.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, meanwhile, plans to visit China in October to meet with military leaders there as well as inspect the construction of the submarine, a Defence Ministry source said. He will be accompanied by the new Thai armed forces commanders, who will assume their roles on Oct 1.
The cabinet approved the purchase of the submarine on April 18 last year with a 13.5-billion-baht budget. The navy paid 700 million baht in the first instalment last year. Annual payments for the sub worth 2.1 billion baht will be made until 2023.