The R600 8×8 is designed to be a multirole combat that can be adapted to meet the individual requirements of the army, navy and air force.
According to Thai media, the Defence Technology Institute delivered the 8×8 “Sea Tiger” Amphibious Armored Personnel Carrier (AAPC) to the Thai Marine Corps (RTMC) on May 9, 2023. It is known that the domestically produced R600 8×8 armored personnel carrier has won against the competitor Black Widow Spider 8×8.
The R600 8×8 is designed to be a multirole combat that can be adapted to meet the individual requirements of the army, navy and air force. The Sea Tiger is configured to suit the Thai Marines, inheriting full amphibious capabilities with a maximum swimming speed of 14km/h thanks to two rear-mounted waterjet propulsion systems. The Royal Thai Navy has a project to procure a total of seven 8×8 armored personnel carriers for the Thai Marine Corps.
Sea Tiger weighs 25 tons, is 8.4m long, 3.2m wide, and 2.75m high. It is equipped with a Cummins engine with a capacity of 600 horsepower, combined with an Allison 4500 6-speed automatic transmission for a maximum road speed of 110km / h, and a range of 800 km. It can cross obstacles of up to 0.6m, drive on a 40% side slope, climb a 60% slope. On top of its 2 crew members (commander/gunner and driver), it can carry up to 20 soldiers.
Sea Tiger has an estimated price of 150 million baht ($5 million) each. It is equipped with a Remote Weapons Station (RWS) turret, armed with a 30mm cannon, sourced from ST Kinetics in Singapore. On the other hand, the vehicle can potentially be equipped with weapons such as 12.7mm and 7.62mm machine guns.
Currently the RTMC is operating amphibious armored vehicles including 36 AAV-7A1 from the US, and 3 VN-16 or Type 05 from China. The addition of new domestically produced amphibious vehicles will significantly strengthen this force.
