Royal Thai Armed Forces Reveal Newly Developed Kamikaze Drone

The Royal Thai Air Force has announced the successful development and testing of a domestically produced kamikaze drone.

The Defence Blog reported on this.

The kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicle was developed through collaboration between the RTAF’s Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Air Force Academy, the Air Force Armaments Department, and the Directorate of Aeronautical Engineering.

The UAV successfully destroyed a mid-range target with a high-explosive warhead during recent trials, achieving a reported targeting error of less than five meters.

The specifications of the Thai drone have not been disclosed, but the released photos provide a general idea of its design.

In appearance, the drone resembles the Iran-Russian Shahed drone (Geran-2) with its delta-shaped triangular wing and piston engine.

The warhead is modular. Its size suggests that the weight is approximately 10-15 kilograms.

The drone is launched from a catapult – a solid-fuel booster is not used, which may indicate the drone’s relatively light weight.

The drone may be intended as an operational-level asset.

The control system has not been disclosed, but similar drones are typically equipped with a hybrid navigation system combining GPS and an inertial system.

An antenna unit located on the left wing may indicate the presence of a real-time communication link with the command center.

This, in turn, suggests that the drone is equipped with an onboard camera and capable of transmitting live images during flight.

In June, the Thai military released evidence of Cambodian troops preparing for combat in the disputed territory well before the shooting incident between soldiers of the two countries.