Every war the Royal Thai Air Force has fought
Thailand fought France in 1940–1941 and then sided with Japan, and the claims of the Franco-Thai War are given with the side that makes them. In the 2025 border conflict with Cambodia each government blames the other for the first shots: Cambodia said its troops acted in self-defence against an incursion, and Thailand said its jets hit military targets. Casualty figures are each government’s own. Where a consolidated sortie or loss figure exists in the official record it is given here; where accounts disagree, the range is shown and the disagreement named. Blank cells are blank because no figure could be verified, not because the fighting was small.
From the First World War to the Cambodian border in 2025.
| Conflict | Years | Against | Main aircraft | Sorties | Aircraft lost | |
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| First World Warthe Siamese Expeditionary ForceArmy aviation (Siamese Expeditionary Force) | 1917–1918 | Germany and Austria-Hungary | — | — | — | |
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Sent aviators to France for training with the Allies; no Siamese air combat is recorded in the sources reached. Siam entered the First World War on the Allied side in July 1917 and sent an expeditionary force of about 1,200 men to France, of whom 370 were pilots and ground crew, according to Wikipedia. Their value was training: the aviators came back with experience that fed the growing air arm at Don Muang. Outcome Allied victory; Siam gained a seat at the peace conference. Whether any Siamese aviators flew operationally before the armistice was not confirmed.
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| Franco-Thai Warthe Indochina border warRoyal Thai Air Force | 1940–1941 | Vichy France (French Indochina) | Martin 139W, Curtiss Hawk 75N, Vought V-93S Corsairand 1 more | — | — | |
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Bombed towns, airfields and troops in French Indochina and defended Thai towns against French raids. The war grew from Thailand’s claim to territory ceded to France in 1904–07. The air force, about 140 aircraft to France’s 100 in Wikipedia’s table, flew daylight raids on Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Sisophon and Battambang. The six Martin 139Ws opened with a raid on Xieng Khuang in Laos on 15 December 1940 and closed with Sisophon on 28 January 1941. On 24 January Thai bombers attacked the French airfield near Angkor. On the ground and at sea the war went less well: at Ko Chang on 17 January the French navy sank two Thai torpedo boats, an action Wikipedia records as purely naval. Japan imposed a ceasefire, and the peace treaty signed in Tokyo on 9 May 1941 gave Thailand parts of Laos and Cambodia, which it returned in 1946. Outcome Ceasefire on 28 January 1941 brokered by Japan; Tokyo treaty of 9 May 1941 transferred disputed territory to Thailand. Escort numbers on 28 January 1941 differ: 13 Hawk 75Ns escorting Martins in the Franco-Thai War article, nine Ki-30s escorted by three Hawks in the P-36 article. Loss figures are one side’s claims.
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| Japanese invasion of Thailand8 December 1941Royal Thai Air Force | 1941 | Japan | Curtiss Hawk 75N, Curtiss Hawk III | — | — | |
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Resisted the Japanese landings for about a day, notably at Prachuap Khiri Khan and over Don Muang. Japanese forces landed along the southern coast on 8 December 1941. At Prachuap Khiri Khan, Wing 5 under Wing Commander Mom Luang Prawat Chumsai and the provincial police held the airfield until noon the next day, when the ceasefire order reached them. Japanese aircraft attacked Don Muang, where the Thai air force lost six fighters to a larger force. The fighting was short because the government in Bangkok chose to accommodate Japan rather than fight on. Outcome Ceasefire ordered by the Thai government; Thailand allied itself with Japan. Casualty figures differ by side and are attributed.
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| Second World Warthe Shan States campaign and Allied raidsRoyal Thai Air Force | 1942–1945 | United Kingdom, United States and Republic of China | Nakajima Ki-43, Martin 139W, Curtiss Hawk 75N | — | — | |
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Supported the Thai army’s advance into the Shan States and defended Thai cities against Allied bombing, with Japanese-supplied aircraft. Thailand declared war on Britain and the United States on 25 January 1942. Allied bombers had begun raiding Bangkok on 7 January. The air force supported three infantry divisions and a cavalry division against the Chinese 93rd Division in the Shan States; Martin bombers were based at Phrae for the campaign. Japan supplied nine ex-Dutch Martins in 1942 and Ki-43 fighters (24 in Wikipedia’s account), and Thai units at times fought the USAAF. The RTAF Museum shows paintings of Thai fighters intercepting American aircraft. Outcome Thailand’s declaration of war was treated as void by the United States after 1945; the air force kept its identity. Individual interception claims and pilot names were not verified and are omitted.
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| Korean WarUN airliftRoyal Thai Air Force | 1951–1971 | North Korea and China | Douglas C-47 | — | — | |
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Flew transport missions for the United Nations Command with C-47s. Thailand sent 11,786 soldiers to Korea in all. The air force’s share was transport: 29 successive RTAF airlift mission teams with Douglas C-47s served in South Korea from 1951 to 1971, long after the armistice of 1953. Outcome Armistice 1953; RTAF airlift teams continued until 1971. Aircraft numbers and bases were not confirmed.
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| Vietnam Warthe Victory Flight and the US basesRoyal Thai Air Force | 1964–1976 | North Vietnam and Viet Cong | Douglas C-47, Fairchild C-123K (USAF aircraft) | — | — | |
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Sent transport crews to South Vietnam (the Victory Flight) and hosted US air wings on RTAF bases. The first 16 RTAF personnel reached South Vietnam on 29 September 1964 to support maintenance; from 22 July 1966 a contingent qualified on C-123s. By late 1970, according to Larsen, 45 Thais were flying: three pilots and five engineers on VNAF C-47s with the 415th Squadron, and nine pilots, seven engineers and three loadmasters on C-123Ks with the USAF 19th Tactical Airlift Squadron at Tan Son Nhut. Thailand’s larger contribution was its airfields: about 80 per cent of USAF strikes on North Vietnam came from Thai bases, and in 1969 more US airmen served in Thailand than in South Vietnam. Outcome Victory Flight withdrawn April–December 1971; US forces left Thailand in 1976. Thai involvement in Laos is not covered here for lack of sources reached.
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| Communist insurgency in Thailandcounter-insurgencyRoyal Thai Air Force | 1965–1983 | Communist Party of Thailand | Fairchild AU-23A, North American T-28D, OV-10C Broncoand 1 more | — | — | |
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Flew light attack, reconnaissance and transport against the Communist Party of Thailand’s armed wing. From 1972 to 1974 the air force and the marines ran operations in Chiang Rai province, where the AU-23A Peacemaker was the main aircraft, with flying units based at Chiang Kham. A joint operation from 3 July 1972 to 29 January 1973 covered Phetchabun, Phitsanulok and Loei. The RTAF bought 32 OV-10Cs for counter-insurgency in the early 1970s. Official figures for civilian deaths in 1971–73 are disputed in the sources Wikipedia cites. Outcome Insurgency declined after the amnesty order 66/2523 of 23 April 1980; over 3,000 insurgents surrendered in 1982. Types other than the AU-23A are linked to counter-insurgency by their procurement rather than by named operations.
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| Thai–Laotian Border WarBan Rom KlaoRoyal Thai Air Force | 1987–1988 | Laos | Northrop F-5E | — | 2 | |
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Bombed Lao positions in support of the army. The fighting of 15 December 1987 to 19 February 1988 concerned a disputed border area at Ban Rom Klao in Chat Trakan district. Thai F-5s bombed Lao positions around Hill 1428. Wikipedia lists two Thai aircraft lost in February 1988 without naming them. The ceasefire had both sides pull back 3 km from the line of contact, and Thailand spent about 3 billion baht on the operation. Thailand claims a military victory; the border line itself was unchanged. Outcome Ceasefire 19 February 1988; both sides withdrew 3 km; status quo ante. Specific aircraft losses (types, dates, crews) could not be corroborated and are omitted. Casualty figures are ranges from different authors.
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| International Force East TimorINTERFETRoyal Thai Air Force | 1999–2000 | — | Transport aircraft (type not confirmed) | — | 0 | |
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Thai aircraft supported the RAAF-led airlift into East Timor. INTERFET ran from 20 September 1999 to 28 February 2000. A Thai officer, Maj. Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara, was its deputy commander, and a Thai battalion served in the east of the territory. Wikipedia records that British, American, Canadian, French and Thai aircraft supported the Royal Australian Air Force’s airlift. Outcome Handed over to the UN mission (UNTAET) on 28 February 2000. The Thai aircraft type (probably C-130H) was not confirmed.
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| Cambodian–Thai border conflict2025 border crisisRoyal Thai Air Force | 2025 | Cambodia | F-16A/B, Gripen C/D, T-50TH | — | 0 | |
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Struck Cambodian military positions with F-16s, Gripens and, in December, T-50THs. Fighting broke out on 24 July 2025 near Prasat Ta Muen Thom. Thailand said Cambodian forces opened fire; Cambodia said its troops acted in self-defence against an unprovoked incursion. By 10:58 that morning, according to Wikipedia, six RTAF F-16s had bombed Cambodian positions at Chong An Ma, reportedly destroying command posts of two Cambodian divisions; Thailand said its jets hit military targets across the border. Further strikes followed near Prasat Ta Khwai and Prasat Ta Muen Thom until a ceasefire, brokered with the United States, China and Malaysia, on 28 July. Thailand acknowledged using white phosphorus munitions, saying they are not chemical weapons under the convention; a Cambodian chemical-weapons claim was traced by fact-checkers to an unrelated wildfire photograph. A peace accord was signed in Kuala Lumpur on 26 October, and Thailand suspended it after a landmine injured Thai soldiers on 10 November; Cambodia denied laying new mines. On 8 December Thai army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said aircraft were striking military targets after a Thai soldier was killed; Cambodia’s defence ministry said Thailand attacked first and accused it of attacks near Preah Vihear temple, and its interior ministry reported civilian deaths. The two defence ministers signed an immediate ceasefire on 27 December. Outcome Ceasefire of 28 July; Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord of 26 October; renewed fighting 7–27 December; ceasefire in force from 27 December 2025, described as tense in May 2026. Casualty and damage figures are each government’s own and are not independently verified; strike details come mainly from Wikipedia’s compilation of media reports.
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Nothing matches that search.
Every figure, checked
- The Defense Post: Thailand Says Over 100,000 Civilians Flee Clashes With Cambodia (25 July 2025)Thai F-16s scrambled to hit military targets; each side blames the other for firing first; Thai toll 15 dead.
- The Defense Post: Thailand Launches Air Strikes Against Cambodian Military (8 December 2025)Thai army spokesman Winthai Suvaree on aircraft strikes; Cambodian defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata says Thailand attacked first.
- The Defense Post: Cambodia-Thailand Clashes Spread on Border (9 December 2025)Cambodian interior and defence ministry claims of civilian deaths and attacks near Preah Vihear temple; Thai army casualty figures.
- The Defense Post: Thailand and Cambodia Agree to Immediate Ceasefire (27 December 2025)Ceasefire from 12:00 on 27 December 2025 signed by the two defence ministers; at least 47 killed in December.
- Al Jazeera: Cambodians struggle with displaced lives amid tense ceasefire with Thailand (9 May 2026)Over 34,440 people still displaced in May 2026 (Cambodian Ministry of Interior); ceasefire of 27 December 2025 described as tense.
Figures verified 2026-09-30. Back to the Royal Thai Air Force.