Nation Thailand
US drone factory proposal for Thailand remains under detailed study
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RAdm Surasant Kongsiri, the Ministry of Defence’s spokesperson, spoke at the ministry on Thursday (August 13, 2026) to clarify the issue of allowing the US to establish a drone manufacturing plant in Thailand.
Key facts
- He said a visit to the US by the Permanent Secretary for Defence had provided an opportunity to obtain information, view the technology and build confidence that Thailand had the capacity to develop and support low-cost unmanned-system
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- He confirmed that no agreement or binding commitment had been made, that there was no requirement to produce any particular system and that no approval had been granted for a US drone manufacturing plant to be established in Thailand.
- All steps remain at the stage of detailed feasibility studies, value-for-money assessments and consideration of a technology-transfer framework that would deliver the greatest benefit to Thailand.
Summary
He said a visit to the US by the Permanent Secretary for Defence had provided an opportunity to obtain information, view the technology and build confidence that Thailand had the capacity to develop and support low-cost unmanned-system technology such as LUCAS.
He confirmed that no agreement or binding commitment had been made, that there was no requirement to produce any particular system and that no approval had been granted for a US drone manufacturing plant to be established in Thailand.