Thailand Army

The Royal Thai Army, headquartered in Bangkok, functions as the land component of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. Ground forces are organized into four regional army areas: 1st Army Area covering central Thailand and Bangkok, 2nd Army Area covering northeastern Thailand, 3rd Army Area covering northern provinces, and 4th Army Area responsible for southern Thailand. Tactical formations comprise infantry divisions, cavalry divisions operating as light armored units, dedicated field artillery and air defense artillery divisions, and the Special Warfare Command headquartered at Lopburi. Main garrisons are distributed across thirty-five military districts aligned with provincial administrative zones.

Armored units operate VT-4 and T-84 Oplot-M main battle tanks alongside M60A3 and M41 light tanks. Mechanized and motorized infantry formations field VN-1 and VN-1C 8x8 wheeled armored fighting vehicles fitted with 30 mm unmanned turrets, BTR-3E1 wheeled armored personnel carriers, and M113 tracked armored personnel carriers. Domestic defense industries supply Chaiseri First Win 4x4 mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles. Field artillery units operate CAESAR truck-mounted 155 mm self-propelled howitzers, M109A5 self-propelled howitzers, K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers, LG1 towed light howitzers, and SR-4 122 mm modular multiple rocket launchers. Air defense forces deploy Type 90 35 mm anti-aircraft guns alongside Starstreak, FIM-92 Stinger, and Igla man-portable air defense missile systems. The Army Aviation Center at Lopburi operates Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk, Airbus H145M, Eurocopter EC725, and Mi-17V-5 transport helicopters, supported by tactical uncrewed aerial surveillance platforms.

Primary operational duties comprise border protection along the frontiers with Myanmar and Cambodia, alongside counter-insurgency operations against separatist factions in the southern border provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat. Ground forces engaged in border combat during 2025 along contested areas near Ta Muen Thom, Ta Khwai, and Preah Vihear, conducting mechanized maneuvers, counter-battery artillery strikes, and offensive actions under Operation Sattawat. Modernization focuses on deliveries of additional VN-1C armored fighting vehicles from China, induction of South Korean K9 self-propelled howitzers, domestic assembly and maintenance infrastructure, and integration of anti-drone electronic warfare systems into infantry formations.