Thailand will receive a batch of US-made armoured vehicles next month, as ties between the two countries warm following the end of military rule in the Southeast Asian nation.
The Strykers -- eight-wheeled vehicles designed to move infantry -- will be deployed at a base near Bangkok, Army Chief Apirat Kongsompong told reporters on Tuesday.
Gen Apirat said Thailand will receive 70 of the combat vehicles by year-end under the US Foreign Military Sales programme. He didn’t give a value for the deal.
The US is a key supplier of weapons to treaty ally Thailand. For instance, Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 fighter jets and Black Hawk helicopters are among US products used by the Southeast Asian nation.
Ties cooled while Thailand was ruled by a junta, a period during which the country stepped up purchases of materiel from China.