Illustrative image. (ATIL/Facebook)
Thailand acknowledged on December 19 that it had lost a drone to Cambodian air defense fire, marking the first aerial loss in the border clashes that broke out earlier in the month.
The conflict is rooted in the colonial-era demarcation of the countries’ 800-kilometre frontier. Dozens of people were killed on both sides of the border in a five-day battle in July. The battle ended back then with a ceasefire mediated by Malaysia with help from the United States.
Fighting, however, resumed on December 9. Each country has blamed the other for instigating the border clashes, claiming self-defense and trading accusations of attacks on civilians.
Clashes are not taking place in Thailand’s Surin, Buriram, Si Sa Ket, Sa Kaeo, Ubon Ratchathani, and Trat provinces, as well as in Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear, Banteay Meanchey, Pursat and Koh Kong provinces.
According to Thai authorities, during the ongoing clashes, 21 Thai soldiers and 16 civilians have been killed, while Cambodia’s Interior Ministry said 18 Cambodian civilians have been killed and 78 others injured.
Until the drone was shot down, the Thai air force has had a free hand bombing targets inside Cambodia, which has limited air defenses and no air force of its own to speak of.
Click to see full-size image. (X)
Defense Minister Gen. Natthaphon Narkphanit called the aerial loss “regrettable” but unavoidable in wartime, according to the Thai Enquirer.
He added that the downed drone was a DP-20, also known as D-Eyes 04, drone and acknowledged that Cambodia possesses air defense weapons capable of targeting such platforms.
The DP-20, capable of carrying out both combat and surveillance missions, was developed in Thailand by Aero Technology Industry Company Limited (ATIL), a joint venture between the government’s Defence Technology Institute, China’s Beihang UAS Technology, and PYN International Co Ltd. It was first unveiled in 2022.
The drone is essentially a localized or rebadged version of the Chinese BZK-005, or BZK-005C in combat form, drone from China’s Beihang University. ATIL claims local industry manufactured about 80% of the airframe and systems.
With an endurance of over 20 hours and the ability to carry up to 250 kg of guided munitions, in addition to surveillance systems, the drone can be considered highly capable.
Cambodia has not yet revealed how it was able to shoot down the DP-20, but unverified reports from the country’s media suggest that the drone was targeted with a Chinese-made QW-3 Man-Portable Air-Defense System (MANPADs).
The country received the QW-3, developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, earlier this year. It showcased the MANPADs along with the TH-S311 “Smart Com-Smart Hunter,” a vehicle designed to manage air defense operations, in May.
Click to see full-size image. (Madman Baiyang/Weibo)
The heat-seeking missile is capable of engaging aerial targets up to 3,000 meters in altitude, with an operational range of five to six kilometers.
Click to see full-size image. (Madman Baiyang/Weibo)
The downing of the DP-20 again highlights growing influence as an arms supplier in Eastern, Southeastern and Southern Asia. Just days earlier, Thailand said that one of its Chinese-made VT-4 main battle tanks was damaged, and later reported capturing Chinese-made GAM-102LR anti-tank guided missiles from Cambodia.
Bijinj has been attempting to leverage this influence to support efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to end the Thai-Cambodian conflict. The U.S. has been also making efforts to that end. However, clashes along the border are only escalating.
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another war instigated by the thugs in washington dc and langley.
but reality doesn’t care about what they want it to be.
to assist in cleansing the fog surrounding this. the us is supporting cambodia in this conflict, to attack chinese trade by proxy. perhaps a siege like venezuela is in the works for shipping. cambodians are nice people and do not need the us meddling in their nation. but the government is captured.
absolute load of crap. total dipstick transparent troll actors covering the obvious globalists agendas from the economic forum. allegedly
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they shoot shit to your face.
that’s ramses tom sawyer circumcised python etc etc your talking to but since your talking to yourself anyway maybe you have a clue. maybe. maybe not maybe you need a hood psychiatrist
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os héteros desapareceram do burguestán não é? ha ha não existem mais héteros nos estados unidos, os jovens americanos vivem vendo pornografia gay e consumindo fentanil
você é amigo do tom sawyer?
talking to yourself still? how droll you really need a new habit.
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vietnam delivered manpads to cambodia. and as for the video it says “error 503”.
there’s a lot of errors here.
i am humiliated by 🇷🇺superiority. my taliban therapist help w my poor self esteem
os talibãs escravizam meninos sexualmente, fazem eles de meninas e ninguém faz nada lá, pobres garotos, obrigados a serem sodomizados pelos talibãs
quem apoiar? camboja ou tailândia? se trump ficar com o camboja, torço pela tailândia.
i see the thais as the aggressor here in this conflict, sort of taking a page from uncle sam bombing countries with no air defense and airforce.
no thailand is a kingdom. cambodia isn’t. thailand is the pedophile tourist capital of the asian world. and yet they’re portrayed in the media as sweeties lovelies so obliging.. figure that one out. then you will wake up. the whole place is a pedophile brothel. allegedly.