"This government is preparing a procurement package but no actual deals have been made," he said, adding that the armed forces have not bought any new arms since this government came into power.

Thamarak was rebuffing Senator Manoonkrit Roopkachorn's criticisms of the military for corruption-plagued procurement deals, brokered by the government.

Manoonkrit raised his allegations during a speech at the anti-Thaksin rally on Monday night. He said the Army had been forced to deploy tanks that had been deemed inoperable and the Air Force had purchased helicopters despite questionable specifications.

Thamarak countered that his government had no involvement in the deployment of tanks acquired a number of years ago.

Air Force commander-in-chief Air Chief Marshal Chalit Pukbhasuk said Manoonkrit might have referred to two Super Puma helicopters deployed a decade ago for royal transportation.

The Air Force promptly decommissioned and sold one of the two helicopters after the other crashed in an accident, he said.