The air force has signed an order for six H135 military training helicopters from Airbus and insisted the deal was above board.
Air force chief ACM Maanat Wongwat said yesterday the deal was not done "on the quiet".
The helicopters will be used for training missions, the air force commander said, without mentioning how much they would cost. The air force currently has 12 Airbus H225s in its fleet of choppers that are used for transport and combat purposes.
Yesterday, Airbus Helicopters announced on its website it had signed an order for six H135 military training helicopters from the Thai air force, which wants them for its pilot training enhancement programme.
The first military training helicopters ever to be ordered by the air force, the new twin-engine H135s will be utilised for an array of training missions.
Fabrice Rochereau, Head of Sales, Asia Pacific at Airbus Helicopters, said the H135 is well regarded by military customers worldwide for its versatility, performance and reliability.
"We look forward to the H135 enhancing the training capability of the Royal Thai Air Force from 2021 onwards, where every one of its pilots will learn to fly a helicopter through the H135 trainer, and smoothly transit to more complex helicopters," he added.
Mr Rochereau said there are more than 130 units operated by militaries worldwide for training missions. The new order for the three-tonne-class H135s expands the global fleet to 11 military customers. Equipped with Airbus Helicopters' Helionix avionics suite, the H135 offers safety conditions for basic and advanced mission training, while providing a platform for easy and safe pilot transition onto more advanced helicopters, Mr Rochereau said.
The contract with the air force includes maintenance support under the HCare Smart full-by-the-hour programme and airworthiness management organisation services.