Military Royal Thai Air Force Unveils Locally-Made Kamikaze Drone

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Amarin.

 

In a significant step forward for Thailand’s defence capabilities, the Royal Thai Air Force has officially unveiled a homegrown “Kamikaze UAV”, a suicide drone designed for precision strike missions. The announcement was made on 5 July 2025, with military officials hailing the development as a major achievement in indigenous defence technology.

 

The Kamikaze UAV, also referred to as a “suicide drone”, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) engineered to deliver high-impact explosive payloads with pinpoint accuracy. The drone is capable of mid-range assaults and has demonstrated an impressive targeting deviation of less than five metres during field trials.

 

This cutting-edge project is the result of close collaboration between the Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Air Force Academy, the Directorate of Aeronautical Engineering, and the Royal Thai Air Force’s Aviation and Space Research and Development Centre (AVSREC). The UAV is equipped with a high-powered warhead and has already passed rigorous testing, successfully neutralising designated targets in controlled conditions.

 

Military officials stated that the Kamikaze UAV marks a pivotal step toward the mass production and deployment of Thai-made smart weaponry, enhancing the nation’s ability to defend its sovereignty with advanced military technology.

 

“This achievement not only demonstrates our technological potential but reinforces the importance of self-reliance in national defence,” a senior air force official said.

 

The unveiling of the drone aligns with the Royal Thai Air Force’s broader modernisation strategy, aimed at reducing dependence on foreign suppliers and fostering homegrown innovation in defence systems.

 

As one senior figure put it, “National security cannot be bought with money, it must be built by our own hands.”

 

The new UAV is expected to enter active service in the near future, significantly bolstering Thailand’s aerial strike capabilities while setting a benchmark for future domestic defence developments.

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Amarin 2025-07-06

 

 

 

[daveAustin]

37 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

“This achievement not only demonstrates our technological potential but reinforces the importance of self-reliance in national defence,” a senior air force official said.

Because we have so many enemies?

 

Guess you could always sell it to your pals in Russia, or your besties for when they take Taiwan. 🙂

[impulse]

Looking at that propeller sticking out the back, I can't help but wonder how big the rubber band is?

[CHdiver]

They do have sea drones too, I found the secret storage place they hide them. Not telling where of course.....

 

[Gsxrnz]

It's amazing what you can do with a 1/24 Airfix kit. Just needs some Humbrol camo paint to finish it off. 

[MikeandDow]

“This achievement not only demonstrates our technological potential

In Making model Planes ???? Thailand full of copy cat ideas!!   No original ideas  !

[billd766]

Good for the RTAF and good for Thailand.

 

Any thing designed and built in Thailand and NOT reliant on other countries is good.

 

It gives jobs to Thai workers, designers and businesses and saves the country valuable foreign currency.

[BangkokReady]

13 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Military officials stated that the Kamikaze UAV marks a pivotal step toward the mass production and deployment of Thai-made smart weaponry, enhancing the nation’s ability to defend its sovereignty with advanced military technology.

 

Anyone else reminded of the stuff Corporal Jones would make in Dad's Army?  "Up, two, three.  Drone, two, three.  Boom, two, three."

[FlorC]

Cambodia is taking notice.

[CallumWK]

I think they have kamikaze helicopters for a few years already

[NoDisplayName]

16 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

officially unveiled a homegrown “Kamikaze UAV”, a suicide drone

 

Big deal.

 

They bought a 737MAX and painted 'Made in Thailand' across the Boeing logo.

[dinsdale]

17 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

“This achievement not only demonstrates our technological potential but reinforces the importance of self-reliance in national defence,” a senior air force official said.

A very good jet but needed as much as kamikaze drones and submarines are.

[Patong2021]

Is this actually serious? This is nothing new. Last November, the RTAF announced this and was trying to sell it at the. trade show in Bangkok :Kamikaze bomber KB-10G and KB-5E developed by NKRTAFA  - The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has launched the KB (Kamikaze Bomber) family of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) developed in Thailand for the first time at the Dronetech Asia 2024 unmanned aerial vehicle exhibition at Challenger Hall 12, Impact Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, Thailand, from 25-27 November 2024.  KB family of suicide drones developed by Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Thai Air Force Academy (NKRTAFA), Research and Development Center for Space and Aeronautical Science and Technology, and the Directorate of Armament.

 

Describing this drone, which is classified as a loitering delivery system as"engineered to deliver high-impact explosive payloads with pinpoint accuracy (and offering that) the drone has demonstrated an impressive targeting deviation of less than five metres during field trials." is questionable.

 

In the world of loitering air munitions,  5 meters is not accurate. Nor is the Thai payload of 5-10Kg  significant. 

 

The KB-5E suicide drone is equipped with a 5kg warhead, has a destruction radius of 280m, an orbital flight speed of 90km/h, a dive speed of 180km/h, and a range of 150km. A larger version of the KB-10G suicide drone uses a gasoline piston engine and is launched via a rail launcher or rocket launcher.

KB-10G has a system weight of 40kg, a wingspan of 1.7m, equipped with a 10kg warhead, a destruction radius of 350m, a flight speed of 120km/h, and a dive speed of 220km/h, and a range of 500km. 

 

In contrast Israeli UAV loiter models offer an accuracy of within 1 meter, and options that can carry  payloads of 16-40kg. It has a maximum speed of  425 km/h  and range of 1000km, with an inflight minimum endurance of 9+ hours. Azerbaijan, Morocco, Estonia, and the Netherlands as well as other countries went with the Israeli  models.

The Thai drones look like  knockoffs of the Israeli drones previously sold to Thailand.

 

10 hours ago, billd766 said:

Good for the RTAF and good for Thailand.

 

Any thing designed and built in Thailand and NOT reliant on other countries is good.

 

It gives jobs to Thai workers, designers and businesses and saves the country valuable foreign currency.

 

Why good? Israel, and NATO militaries attach legal officers to drone units to supervise targets to minimize non combatant collateral damage/injury. Do you think Thailand does that? The vetting becomes even more necessary when the detonation target area is large like the Thai UAV's.  How do you know that the  UAV was designed in Thailand and is not actually a copy of someone else's UAV model?  Yes, Thailand will produce some UAVs, but have you done a cost comparison to foreign sourced models? If the Thai versions are slow and easily stopped, or if they are inaccurate, what benefit will it bring? If the intent is to drop payloads willy nilly without much concern for actual accuracy or collateral damage, then yes this option might be more cost effective if used for purposes such as bombing Cambodian villages.

[thesetat]

6 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

In the world of loitering air munitions,  5 meters is not accurate. Nor is the Thai payload of 5-10Kg  significant. 

 

I agree completely.... I also wonder what is their flight distance and guidance capabilities. I think the source is exaggerating a lot to scare a certain country. This drone does not seem a feasible artillery and with limited capabilities.

[mfd101]

I'm wondering whose suicide is involved.

[jaywalker-2]

11 hours ago, CallumWK said:

I think they have kamikaze helicopters for a few years already

My first thought was their Huey helicopters.

[Jonathan Swift]

On 7/5/2025 at 6:56 PM, daveAustin said:

Because we have so many enemies?

 

Guess you could always sell it to your pals in Russia, or your besties for when they take Taiwan. 🙂

That's the dumbest comment of the day. You must be a Fox News Trumpie. 

[realfunster]

On 7/6/2025 at 5:15 AM, Georgealbert said:

As one senior figure put it, “National security cannot be bought with money, it must be built by our own hands.”

Hilarious. Except for Chinese submarines, of course.

 

The Generals won’t like this kind of attitude which would limit envelope opportunities. 

 

[spidermike007]

Hopefully they can use it to target Burmese junta leaders. Who else would they use it on? What justification could they have for such a costly monstrosity? 

[newbee2022]

Oh dear 😇🙈

[black tabby12345]

Thai-made unmanned fighter plane for one-way mission?

How timely lol; war is going on now.

Can't  they wait to test it with max payload of TNT on Hun Sen's

palace?

 

 

[hotchilli]

On 7/6/2025 at 5:15 AM, Georgealbert said:

In a significant step forward for Thailand’s defence capabilities, the Royal Thai Air Force has officially unveiled a homegrown “Kamikaze UAV”, a suicide drone designed for precision strike missions. The announcement was made on 5 July 2025, with military officials hailing the development as a major achievement in indigenous defence technology.

To be put into storage along with the Aircraft Carrier and the Subs when they eventually arrive.

[phetphet]

Does it have a German engine?

[black tabby12345]

On 7/6/2025 at 5:56 AM, daveAustin said:

Because we have so many enemies?

 

Guess you could always sell it to your pals in Russia, or your besties for when they take Taiwan. 🙂

 

China is far ahead of most countries in the field of drones.

They have even launched and successfully retrieved unmanned space vehicle to and from the moon.

 

Even the Hi-Tech giant like Japan, cannot match them.

When they use it in actual war, most likely to come in huge mass(saturation attack) beyond adversary's   interception capacity.

[Mark17AA]

Nothing new... kamikaze Drivers, Motorclcyles, Taxis, even pedestrians are all in circulation already, and well proven in the field.

[crazykopite]

Let’s hope it’s better than the government app sites that constantly fail 

[ignore it]

Any aircraft designed and manufactured in Thailand should be considered de facto as a kamikaze.

[Hardcastle P]

 It's designed to bomb the enemy how is it a defence drone 

[khunjeff]

If you can't figure out how to make it land, just declare it a "kamikaze" and you're off the hook.

[ezzra]

Humm, locally made, what they fuel it with? Nam Pla?