The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has completed Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) for its newly procured Sentinel 30 naval remote weapon station (RWS) in Spain, marking a key milestone in the service’s ongoing fleet modernization program. Conducted on November 4, 2026, at the National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA) Campus La Marañosa weapons testing facility, the evaluation was observed by Captain Yuttanavee Mungthanya, the Royal Thai Assistant Naval Attaché and Acting Assistant Defense Attaché in Madrid, alongside embassy defense staff. During the trials, engineers tested the 30 mm ammunition loading mechanism and executed live-fire sequences across multiple operational modes to verify accuracy, operational readiness, and compliance with technical specifications. All designated evaluation criteria were successfully met, advancing the procurement contract signed with Spanish defense manufacturer Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E) in February 2025.
Designed specifically for integration aboard medium and large surface combatants, the Sentinel 30 is a gyro-stabilized naval remote weapon station armed with the Northrop Grumman Mk 44 Bushmaster II 30 mm chain gun, which is adaptable to both standard and stretch configurations as well as 40 mm calibers. The modular station incorporates a next-generation ballistic calculator and an integrated ammunition programmer, enabling the engagement of targets with Air Burst Munition (ABM) rounds without requiring external fire-control hardware. Equipped with dual-axis stabilization and integrated electro-optical sensors, the Sentinel family provides continuous day-and-night surveillance, observation, and automatic target tracking capabilities.
The successful acceptance trials underscore deepening defense-industrial cooperation between Thailand and Spain as Bangkok seeks to enhance the lethality and readiness of its naval assets. Beyond verifying immediate hardware performance, the Madrid attaché office’s oversight reflects the RTN’s broader effort to monitor procurement timelines and maintain technical coordination with European defense suppliers. The acquisition of the Sentinel 30 system will provide RTN vessels with an automated, high-precision medium-caliber defense capability suited for asymmetric surface threats and close-in engagements.
Founded in 1989 as a third-party manufacturer of precision mechanical components, Spain-based EM&E transitioned in 2011 toward vertical integration of its engineering and production capabilities to develop sovereign defense and security systems. Headquartered in Alcalá de Henares near Madrid—where it operates over 45,000 square meters of facilities alongside an 80-hectare site at the former El Viso gunpowder depot—the company has expanded its industrial footprint across Spain. This infrastructure includes a 23,000-square-meter production and administrative complex in Córdoba, an 11,000-square-meter facility in Binéfar, a dedicated software and artificial intelligence development center in Barcelona, and additional engineering and operational offices in Cádiz, Asturias, and Valencia.
