The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has officially unveiled its first fully indigenous kamikaze drone—a loitering munition designed to carry high-explosive payloads and eliminate high-value targets with pinpoint accuracy. This development marks a new chapter in Thailand’s military modernization agenda and reflects the country’s commitment to advancing domestic defence innovation amid an increasingly unstable regional security landscape.
The announcement was made in an official statement by the RTAF, following a series of successful test trials conducted in late June 2025. The drone—still unnamed—achieved a targeting error of less than five meters during flight tests, demonstrating a high level of precision previously unavailable in Thailand’s aerial combat capabilities. The weapon, described as a one-way attack platform, is the product of a collaborative initiative between three key entities: the Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Air Force Academy, the Directorate of Armament of the RTAF, and the RTAF’s Research and Development Centre for Space and Aeronautical Science and Technology.
“This achievement represents an important step in advancing the Kamikaze Drone program toward production and operational deployment,” the RTAF declared in a public release. “The system will increase our capability with advanced equipment to protect the nation’s sovereignty and ensure peace and security for the Thai people.”
Though specific technical details such as operational range, loitering endurance, and warhead weight remain classified, publicly available information paints a picture of a compact, highly maneuverable drone system. Featuring a delta-wing configuration and powered by a combustion engine with a rear-mounted pusher propeller, the drone is launched via a catapult system and controlled by a human operator through a radio link.
The kamikaze drone uses onboard electro-optical sensors to identify, lock on to, and engage targets during the terminal phase of flight. It is designed for surgical strikes against critical infrastructure, enemy command posts, or mobile armored units—without exposing human pilots to danger.
With a low radar signature and small visual footprint, the drone is optimized for asymmetric engagements and grey-zone warfare, allowing Thai forces to strike high-value targets while remaining difficult to detect or counter.
While the RTAF has operated reconnaissance UAVs and surveillance drones for several years, the domestically developed kamikaze drone marks a doctrinal shift in Thailand’s approach to aerial combat. It is the first time the country has fielded a weaponized loitering munition capable of autonomous or semi-autonomous attack operations—a capability long held by technologically superior militaries such as those of the United States, Israel, Iran, and Turkey.
The RTAF emphasized this point in a broader statement reflecting Thailand’s updated military doctrine: “National security cannot be bought with money – it must be created with your own hands.”
This statement underscores a growing desire within Thailand’s defence establishment to reduce dependence on foreign military suppliers, particularly in areas such as UAVs, smart munitions, and cyberwarfare tools. It reflects a larger strategic pivot known as the Defence Industry Development Strategy—a state-backed initiative launched in 2023 to cultivate indigenous capabilities in advanced warfare systems.
The timing of this breakthrough is significant. Southeast Asia is witnessing rising defence budgets and an increased appetite for modern warfare tools, driven by unresolved maritime disputes in the South China Sea, border tensions, and fears of transnational terrorism. Countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines have all ramped up investment in drone technologies, either through imports or local development.
Thailand’s kamikaze drone capability thus places it in an elite group within the ASEAN bloc, setting a precedent that could trigger a regional push toward autonomous combat platforms. Analysts believe that such developments may lead to an arms race in drone warfare technologies among Southeast Asian nations.
“This is a watershed moment,” said Group Captain Sorawich Phanurak, a retired RTAF strategist. “Thailand has moved from being a drone consumer to a drone producer. It is not only a defence milestone but a geopolitical signal to our neighbours that we are capable of defending ourselves with tools we’ve built ourselves.”
The Thai kamikaze drone is emblematic of a global trend: the proliferation of expendable, unmanned, precision-strike systems that can carry out missions typically reserved for costly air-to-surface missiles or manned aircraft. In recent years, similar systems—such as the Israeli Harop, Turkish Kargu, and Iranian Shahed-136—have demonstrated their battlefield relevance, most notably in Ukraine, Syria, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Yemen.
Thailand’s version appears to have adopted a similar mission profile, albeit in a localized form tailored for Southeast Asia’s unique operational environment. Observers speculate that the drone may eventually be adapted for anti-ship missions, forest interdiction, or swarming tactics, depending on further iterations.
“Loitering munitions provide an effective balance between cost, stealth, and firepower,” noted Dr. Virot Apichartkul, a military technologies researcher at Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy. “Unlike guided bombs or cruise missiles, they don’t require expensive delivery platforms or exposed pilots. That’s their true advantage.”
Though the RTAF has not released video footage or high-resolution imagery of the drone in action, officials confirmed that test trials included simulated strikes against static and mobile ground targets. Further trials, including live-fire exercises against moving convoys or hardened positions, are expected to be carried out by the end of the year.
According to sources familiar with the program, internal evaluations are underway to determine whether the system should proceed to serial production in 2026. If greenlit, it would likely be manufactured domestically in cooperation with Thailand’s Defence Technology Institute and selected private-sector partners, many of whom have already supplied components or expertise during the development phase.
The RTAF has hinted that the platform may eventually serve as the foundation for an entire family of loitering munitions, ranging from lighter tactical drones for infantry use to larger, long-range strike variants for strategic operations.
Another emerging aspect of the kamikaze drone program is its export potential. Several ASEAN nations, particularly those with modest defence budgets or concerns about overreliance on U.S. or Chinese arms, may look to Thailand’s platform as a cost-effective alternative.
“The real value here is affordability and autonomy,” said a Southeast Asian defence attaché based in Bangkok. “If Thailand can offer a modular, battle-proven kamikaze drone at a fraction of the cost of Western equivalents, it could become a major player in the regional drone market.”
Thailand’s past attempts at arms exports—such as small arms and armored vehicles—met with limited success. However, UAVs and loitering munitions may provide a more promising path forward, especially amid growing demand for autonomous systems capable of operating in denied environments.
Despite its impressive debut, the kamikaze drone project still faces significant hurdles. These include integrating the system into existing command-and-control frameworks, improving resistance to electronic warfare (jamming and spoofing), and establishing ethical and legal protocols for its operational use.
Critics also caution against over-reliance on such systems without corresponding investments in cyber protection, communications security, and pilot training. As one analyst from the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS) Bangkok put it, “A drone is only as good as the network that controls it. If you lose that link, the system becomes vulnerable, if not useless.”
Still, the momentum behind the program appears strong, with RTAF leaders publicly stating their intention to “expand development toward a full-scale combat system capable of operating in complex mission environments.”
