- May 4, 2021
- 1,316

The Royal Thai Armed Forces
Commander-in-Chief
![]() Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army Field Marshal Surayud Chulanont | ![]() Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy Admiral of the Fleet Thira Hao-Charoen | ![]() Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force Marshal of the Air Force Thananit Niumtundhi |
The Personnel
![]() The Royal Thai Army Active Duty: 411,148 Deploy: 347,356 | ![]() Royal Thai Navy Active Duty: 29,630 Deploy: 26,503 | ![]() Royal Thai Air Force Active Duty: 22,294 Deploy: 14,313 |
The Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) is the name of the military of the Republic of Thailand.
The armed forces are managed by the Ministry of Defense of Thailand, which is headed by the minister of defense and commanded by the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, which in turn is headed by the Chief of Defence Forces. The commander in chief of the Royal Thai Army is considered the most powerful position in the Thai Armed Forces.
Royal Thai Armed Forces Day is celebrated on 18 January to commemorate the victory of King Naresuan the Great in the battle against the Crown Prince of Burma in 1593.
History
The Royal Siamese Armed Forces was the military arm of the Siamese monarchy from the 12th to the 19th centuries. It refers to the military forces of the Sukhothai Kingdom, the Ayutthaya Kingdom, the Thonburi Kingdom, and the early Rattanakosin Kingdom in chronological order. The Siamese army was one of the dominant armed forces in Southeast Asia. As Thailand has never been colonized by a European power, the Royal Thai Armed Forces boasts one of the longest and uninterrupted military traditions in Asia.
The army was organized into a small standing army of a few thousand, which defended the capital and the palace, and a much larger conscription-based wartime army. Conscription was based on the "ahmudan" system, which required local chiefs to supply, in times of war, a predetermined quota of men from their jurisdiction based on population. The wartime army also consisted of elephantry, cavalry, artillery, and naval units.
In 1852, the Royal Siamese Armed Forces came into existence as the permanent force at the behest of King Mongkut, who needed a European-trained military force to thwart any Western threat and any attempts at colonialization. By 1887, during the next reign of King Chulalongkorn, a permanent military command in the Kalahom Department was established. The office of Kalahom, as a permanent office of war department, was established by King Borommatrailokkanat (1431–1488) in the mid-15th century during the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Siam's history of organized warfare is thus one of Asia's longest and uninterrupted military traditions. However, since 1932, when the military, with the help of civilians, overthrew the system of absolute monarchy and instead created a constitutional system, the military has dominated and been in control of Thai politics, providing it with many prime ministers and carrying out many coups d'état
List of equipment of the Royal Thai Armed Force
Model | Type | Caliber | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
M1911 | Semi-Automatic Pistol | .45 ACP | Thai M1911A1 pistols produced under license from The United State; locally known as the Type 86 pistol. Use as a sidearm for a soldier in a self-defense case | |
Remington Model 870 | Shotgun | 12 gauge | Thai Remington Model870A1 shotgun produced under license from The United State. Use as a close-up raid weapon against defense target. | |
Heckler & Koch MP5 | Submachine Gun | 9*19mm Parabellum | Thai Heckler & Koch MP5A1 Submachine gun produced under Executive war time license from Germany. Use as a close-up raid weapon against defense target for Royal Thai Army Special Forces | |
M16A4/A2/A1 | Assault Rifle | 5.56*45mm NATO | Standard infantry rifle from The United State | |
M1 Garand | Semi-Automatic Rifle | .30-06 Springfield | Locally known as the Type 88 self-loading rifle. Used by King's Guards and by Army Reserve Force Students as a non-firing training rifle. | |
Heckler and Koch MSG90/MSG90A1 | Sniper Rifle | 7.62*51mm NATO |
| |
M249 | Light Machine Gun | .56*45mm NATO | M249 is a light machine gun used by well-trained defense-battle battalions | |
M203 | Underbarrel Grenade Launcher | 40mm grenade | M203 is an underbarrel grenade launcher use it to cause massive damage to the target. | |
M72 LAW | Anti-tank rocket launcher | 40×46mm SR | M72 LAW Anti-tank rocket launcher is used to destroy the tank and armored vehicle. | |
9K38 Igla SA-18 | MANPADS | 1.17 kg (2.6 lb) with 390 g (14 oz) explosive | Thailand have aquired the domestic license of the system and ammunition from Russia |
The Equipment | Secret
Tank
![]() T-90S Total: 1400 Active: 1,265 | ![]() T-84 Oplot-T Total: 400 Active: 350 | ![]() Stingray Light Tank Total: 12 Used by training |
![]() M1134 Stryker ATGM Total: 50 Active: 38 |
Infantry Fighting Vehicle & Armoured Personnel Carrier
![]() BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle Total: 643 Active: 594 | ![]() DN-V Bufalo Total: 400 Active: 395 | ![]() BTR-90 Total: 1,485 Active: 1,315 |
![]() ICV Stryker Total: 800 Active: 722 |
Artillery
![]() M109A2 Howitzer Total: 500 Active: 464 | ![]() M758 ATMG Total: 1,470 Active: 1,332 |
Infantry Vehicle
![]() GAZ Vodnik Total: 2,232 Active 1,902 | ![]() GAZ Tigr Total: 6,143 Active: 6,041 | ![]() Land Rover Wolf WMIK Total: 2,964 Active: 2,880 |
![]() 1996 Toyota Supra 3dr LB Base Auto Total: 1,050 Used as public vehicle |
Truck
![]() GAZ Sadko Truck Total: 2,500 Active: 2,150 | ![]() Ural-4320 (Multi-Purpose Truck) Total: 2,500 Active: 1,900 |
Engineer Vehicle
![]() IMR-2 Combat Engineering Vehicle Total: 200 Active: 188 | ![]() BREM-1 Armored Recovery Vehicle Total: 200 Active: 188 |
Helicopter
![]() Kamov Ka-226 Total: 130 Active: 97 | ![]() Kamov Ka-50 Black Shark Total: 65 Active: 35 |
Unmanned aerial vehicle
![]() IAI Searcher 2 Total: 99 Active: 51 | ![]() Elbit Hermes 450 UAV Total: 311 Active: 144 |
small coast patrol boat
Model | Type | Current Quantity | Note |
M10 Riverine Patrol Boat | Coastal patrol boat | 550 of 550(120 left in storage) | The M10 Riverine Patrol Boat was designed and produced by Marsun public company limited. the full list of detail of the boat can find here! |
Transport Vehicle
Model | Type | Current Quantity | Note |
Hyundai Aero City | Transport Vehicle | 100 of 100 | Product purchase from Korea. Use for transportation. |
Hyundai Tucson | Transport Vehicle | 10 of 10 | Product purchase from Korea. Use for transportation of high command. (Product note from Korea: vehicle is upgraded to include Armored windows, doors, engines, and tire replacements. The Armor will be encompassing for a government vehicle standard. The windows will be tinted and reinforced.) |
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Protect by NIA Counter-Intelligence Service
By disclosure of the following documents without permission: This is a criminal offense and must be prosecuted to the utmost. Official Information Act B.E. 2540(1997)
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Protect by NIA Counter-Intelligence Service
By disclosure of the following documents without permission: This is a criminal offense and must be prosecuted to the utmost. Official Information Act B.E. 2540(1997)
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