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One of the follow-ons from Thailand’s September 2006 military coup has been a sharp rise in military spending from about 29 billion baht in 2005 to 140 billion set aside in the 2008 budget. One of the new projects being pursued is a Bt 1 billion (about $32 million) second phase project to upgrade the other half of its 12 C-130H & stretched C-130H-30 Hercules transports. State-owned Thai Aviation Industries (TAI) is expected to select a vendor in late 2008, with work expected to take place in 2009-2011, to introduce additional avionics equipment. Flight International Report.
An earlier Bt 900 million CNS/ATM upgrade gave 6 C-130H aircraft new communication and navigation equipment, plus radar, autopilot and flight management systems that meet air traffic management regulations around the globe. Rockwell Collins supplied an installation team and facilities to supervise upgrades of the first 2 C-130s, after which TAI undertook modifications to the remaining 4 Phase 1 RTAF Hercules at its Takhli air-base plant. Phase 1 is scheduled for completion in 2009, and follow-on upgrades to the remaining aircraft were planned but delayed due to budget constraints. Rockwell Collins release | Aviation Week: C-130s – A Half-Century Of Service, And Still Going Strong.