(Bloomberg) -- Thailand will receive a batch of U.S.-made armored 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.
Apirat said Thailand will receive 70 of the combat vehicles by year-end under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program. He didn't give a value for the deal.
Read More -- U.S. Ready to Boost Thai Arms Sales After Vote, Countering China
The U.S. 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 U.S. 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. A civilian administration was sworn in last month after a disputed general election in March.
To contact the reporter on this story: Siraphob Thanthong-Knight in Bangkok at rthanthongkn@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sunil Jagtiani at sjagtiani@bloomberg.net, Subramaniam Sharma
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