Ukraine transferring new batch of Oplot combat tanks to Thailand

The foreign customer confirmed that all characteristics of new tanks meet the contract requirements. The batch of tanks is ready for shipping, the press service said. The plant did not disclose the number of tanks to be delivered to the Thai customer. Malyshev Plant has started making a new batch of Oplot tanks for the customer. The Oplot tank has been developed by the Kharkiv-based Morozov Design and Engineering Bureau. The first two Oplot tanks entered service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in May 2009. An over $200 million contract for the delivery of 49 Oplot tanks to Thailand was signed in 2011. The Malyshev company started implementing the contract in April 2012. Investment in the tanks' serial production amounts to $30 million, according to the company management. First five tanks were shipped to Thailand early 2014, five more in December 2015 and ten tanks in spring 2016. Sources told Interfax-Ukraine that the Thai contract could be finished by late 2016. Experts estimate the Oplot tank has an 80% processing complexity coefficient, one of the world's highest among new combat vehicles. The tank has advanced systems of protecting communication and control gear, including an active system for countering smart weapons, as well as night vision instruments and a remote-controlled machine-gun.