Commentary-Thai fighter jets appear to gain the upperhand over Cambodia’s outdated China-made weapons in the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reiterated on Sunday (Dec. 14) on a Facebook post that “there was no plan nor agreement by Thai Government to ceasefire with our enemy as of 10 pm last night. Thailand stands firm with our determination to preserve, protect and defend integrity of our land and our people at all cost.”
One reason Thailand refuses to cease fire is the continued rocket attacks on border provinces. Thailand’s strategic objective is not to occupy territory, but to control key high points along the border and, through air power, completely destroy Cambodian military forces in the border region.
The Thai Army released a video on Dec. 15 showing a Cambodian soldier demonstrating the use of Type69 RPG, a Chinese-made variant of the Soviet RPG-7 by China North Industries Corporation (Norinco). Type69 RPG was first introduced in 1972 and is a common individual anti-tank weapon in service with China’s army, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The aging Type 69 RPG family was subsequently replaced by more modern anti-tank weapon systems developed by China such as the Type 89 and Type 08.
Type69 RPG is limited in range and is insufficient to reach the Thai’s F-16 fighter jets.
The Thai army also reported on Dec. 14 that it was able to foil a large number of the latest Chinese-made anti-tank missiles fired from the Cambodian army.
“Thai soldiers have been able to intercept a large number of Chinese 5th generation GAM-102LR anti-tank missiles from Cambodian troops on the hill 677. The missiles are the latest weapon launched this year and are considered the discovery of a very important heavy and modern weapon on the battle line.”
“The GAM-102LR anti-tank guided missile system is inspired by the United States FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile system,” it stated, adding that “the GAM-102LR is manufactured by a leading Chinese weapons company Poly Defense in an affiliate of Poly Technologies and was unveiled for the first time in the 2025 EDEX Tactical Weapons Exhibition.”
Its “maximum shooting range is about 6-10 kilometers” is insufficient to reach the Thai fighter jets, it reported.
Thailand’s utilisation of the F-16 and Gripen fighter jets provides the military with a superiority in the battlefield.
Gripen fighter jets are acquired from Sweden that allows the jets to take off and land on a road near the front lines. Sweden developed the Gripen fighter jets for the purpose of operating on short land strips of only 500 metres and a relatively short-turnaround time of just ten minutes.
Thailand Continues Air Bombardment of Casinos
The Thai military has released several footage of Cambodian casinos being destroyed by its F-16 fighter jets.
It announced the bombing of Thmor Da Casino along with a video, “A Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) F-16 fighter jet conducted a guided air strike, dropping bombs on the Thmor Da Casino location in Veal Veaeng District, Pursat Province, Cambodia, earlier this morning (December 13th). The action was taken after the casino building was found to be used by the Cambodian Armed Forces as a military operations site to launch attacks against the sovereign territory of Thailand.’
It also announced and released a video that “Casino Moda, Viang Wel, Bodiswat province was destroyed by Thai Air Force F-16 fighter jet in the last morning (13 Dec.)”
On Dec. 13, the Thai military also released “Photos of the damage in the Tomoda casino building, Vialweng province. Phoswat was destroyed by Thai air force F-16 fighter jet.”
Cambodia has been turned into one of the largest scam centres in Southeast Asia.
In recent months, the US announced the largest seizure of US$15 billion in bitcoin and had charged China-born Cambodian citizen Chen Zhi, founder of Prince Group, for allegedly masterminding the massive cryptocurrency scams, and other online investments scams against Americans and citizens in other countries.
Chen Zhi, Prince Group, and his accomplices, were sanctioned on Oct. 14 by the US, jointly with the UK, for what was described as the “Largest Action Ever Targeting Cybercriminal Networks in Southeast Asia”for these online scams and the laundering of stolen funds.
The bombings of the casinos are aimed at what the Thai military describes as “crushing Hun Sen’s rice bowl,” referring to the financial network linked to the family of Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, according to the Thai news outlet.
Battle on the Ground
Thai military spokesperson said “the main focus of both sides is concentrated along the Thai-Cambodian border. Military outposts deep within Cambodia have become targets for the Thai Air Force. In past battles, Thailand has occupied several high ground positions along the border.”
On Dec. 14, several images of Thai infantry were seen assembling at the front lines, including M113 armored infantry fighting vehicles, ACAV infantry fighting vehicles, and Scorpion light tanks used by the Thai Army.
The Thai ground offensive also yielded results.
On Dec. 14, a spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy said the Marine Corps launched a military operation in Sam Uk district of Trat province, seized control of the area, and raised the Thai flag.
Meanwhile, Cambodia is also mobilizing its troops.
On the night of Dec. 14, video footage shows RM-70 rocket launchers continuously firing rockets at the Cambodian front.
Despite the Thai offensive, the Cambodian army also achieved some successes.
A Thai Stryker GTR-3 infantry fighting vehicle, abandoned by Thai troops on the roadside, was subsequently captured by the Cambodian army. It appears the vehicle was abandoned because it was stuck in low-lying ground by the roadside.
Cambodia has also launched offensives in the border region. On Dec. 12, Cambodian ground troops entered the Boeung Trakhan region, removed the Thai flag, and replaced it with the Cambodian flag.
