Ukraine has delivered the primary five main battle tanks to Thailand of a 2011 order worth over $200 million, a state-run arms exporter said Wednesday.
The shipment is a part of an order of 49 Oplot-M tanks to be installed service with the Royal Thai Military within the near future.
The Ukrainian tanks arrived on the port of Sattahip on Tuesday and may undergo additional acceptance trials, Ukrspetsexport said in a press release.
The Oplot is armed with a 125-mm smoothbore gun, a 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun and a 12.7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun.
The main gun can fire a laser-guided missile against battle tanks, armored vehicles and hovering helicopters within quite a number five kilometers (3.1 miles).
The tank’s protection system integrates both passive armor and explosive reactive armor.
Ukraine has recently become an active competitor on global arms markets attributable to a name for reliable weaponry, relatively low prices and extended post-sale and service warranties.
According to data published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Ukraine exported major conventional arms worth $1.3 billion in 2012, making it the fourth largest arms exporter on the earth that year.
Sales to Asian countries accounted for 47 percent of exports, while African countries and previous Soviet states bought 23 percent and 21 percent respectively of Ukrainian arms, SIPRI reported.
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