Royal Thai Army

The creation of the 15th Infantry Division was announced in January 2005.

• Nine infantry divisions (including 16 tank battalions)
• One armoured division
• Three cavalry divisions (light armoured divisions)
• One Special Warfare Command trained and equipped for small unit Special forces and airborne operations

The Army Tactical Level Advanced Simulation (ATLAS) is an interactive, distributed, constructive simulation used to conduct military

Army Medical Department

Army Medical Department (AMED) (กรมแพทย์ทหารบก) belongs to the service segment of the Royal Thai Army. It is in charge of medical affairs, and providing medical care, both in the field and on base, training personnel in research and agriculture and supervising the other medical divisions within the Royal Thai Army.

AMED observed 111 years of service in January 2011,^[22] with 110 years of service having been honoured by issue of a series of commemorative stamps.^[23] AMED operates Phramongkutklao Hospital in Bangkok and Ananda Mahidol Hospital in Lopburi, along with smaller hospitals at each fort, as well as Phramongkutklao College of Medicine (PCM).

Air Division

Royal Thai Army Aviation Center (กองบินทหารบกไทย) belongs to the service segment of the Royal Thai Army Areas:

• Don Mueang International Airport (VTBD)
  • Units include the
    Jetstream 41s
    (serial numbers 41060 and 41094), two Casa 212–300s (serial numbers 446 and 447), and two Beech 1900C-1s (serial numbers 0169 and 0170) and the 1st Infantry Battalion operating two Bell 206Bs (serial numbers 4422 and 4448), three Schweizer S-300Cs (serial numbers 1340, 1366 and 1367), and two Cessna U-17B FAC aircraft (serial numbers 1616 and 1617).
• Bang Khen (3 km south of Don Mueang)
  • The Royal Squadron flies three Bell 212s and two Bell 412s (serial numbers 36332 and 36333). There is also a special transport unit flying around 10–12 Bell 212s and one or two Bell 206s.

• Fort Surasi (
  Kanchanaburi
  )
  • The 9th Infantry Division operates two Bell 206Bs (the serial number of one is 4424), and two or three Schweizer S-300Cs. There is also a detachment of UH-1Hs from an Air Mobility Company based here.
• Fort Chakraphong (
  Prachinburi
  )
  • The "2nd Infantry Division, Queen Sirikit's Guard", was operating two Bell 206Bs (serial numbers 4446 and 4361), three Schweizer S-300Cs (serial numbers 1343, 1344, and 1345), and two Maule MX-7s (one serial number known is 099) in 2004, however it is likely the Maule MX-7s may now not be operated by this unit now. A detachment of this unit (with, in 1998, one Bell 206 and one Maule MX-7) was operating from Watthana Nakhon (VTBW) near the Cambodian border.

• Phitsanulok Airport (VTPP)
  • Loc 16 degrees 46'58.58N,100 degrees 16'44.84E elevation 154 feet/47 metres.
  • Runway 14/32 length 9,843 x 148 feet (3,000 x 45 metres)
  • Operating from here is the 4th Infantry Battalion with Bell 206Bs, Schweizer S-300Cs, Cessna U-17Bs, and Maule MX-7s.
• Fort Suranari (
  Khorat
  )
  • The main flying unit here is the 3rd Infantry Battalion flying two Bell 206Bs (serial numbers 4396 and 4447), two Schweizer S-300Cs (serial numbers 1337 and 1339), and two Cessna U-17Bs (serial numbers 1454 and 1618).
  • This field also hosts a detachment of up to three Bell 212 helicopters from one of the Air Mobility Companies.
• Fort Princess Srinagarindra (
  Lopburi
  ), the main base complex of Royal Thai Army Aviation, including training, technical school, aircraft maintenance, and aircraft storage. The main airfield here is called Sa Pran Nak (VTBH).
  • Loc 14 degrees 56'58.02N, 100 degrees 38'34.88E elevation 95 feet (29 metres).
  • Runways 01/19 3,300 x 98 feet (1,006 x 30 metres) and 06/24 3,890 x 98 feet (1,186 x 30 metres)
  • Operating units here include:
    • Gong Bin Bau ( Light Aviation Company ) – operating Cessna U-17Bs, Cessna T-41s, and Searcher MKIIs
    • Gong Bin Pee-ak Moon Tee Nung ( 1st Air Mobility Company ) – operating Bell UH-1Hs and Bell 212s
    • Gong Bin Pee-ak Moon Tee Song ( 2nd Air Mobility Company ) – operating Bell UH-1Hs (US Excess Defense Articles Program) and Bell 212s
    • Gong Bin Pee-ak Moon Tee Sam ( 3rd Air mobility Company ) – operating Bell UH-1Hs, Bell 206Bs, Bell AH-1F Huey Cobras (eight) and Bell 212s
    • Gong Bin Pee-ak Moon Tee Gou (pasom) ( 9th Air Mobility Company ) [Mixed]) – operating Bell UH-1Hs (US Excess Defense Articles Program) and Sikorsky S-70-43 Black Hawks (six) with six more on order.
    • Gong Bin Sanub-sanoon Tua Pai (General Support Aviation Battalion) – operating Boeing CH-47D Chinooks, Bell UH-1Hs, and Mil Mi-17V5s
    • The army aviation centre is based here, which conducts conversion training for the army. Types operated are Cessna T-41Bs (ex-US army surplus), Maule MX-7s, and Schweizer S-300C piston trainer helicopters.
    • The two former VIP Beechcraft 200 King Air aeroplanes (serial numbers 0342 and 1165), are also based here. Their present role is unknown. These aeroplanes were modified in the US in the late 1990s.
  • A separate airfield within the Lopburi complex (around 3 km south of Sa Pran Nak) houses the 5th Aircraft Maintenance Company. This unit is responsible for maintenance and storage of army aircraft and helicopters.
  • The 5th Infantry Division operates the following aviation assets from a small airfield within the army reserve at
    Nakhon Si Thammarat
    (not at the airport): two Bell 206B-3s (serial numbers 4382 and 4427), three Schweizer TH-300Cs (serial numbers 1371, 1372, and 1373) and two Maule MX-7s (serial numbers 114 and 115). A detachment of helicopters can be found here from the Air Mobility Companies based at Lopburi.

Military districts

The army is divided into districts, whereby the first digit of the district indicates the army (first, second, third or fourth) responsible for its supervision. The names of forts are from locations or influential figures in Thailand's history. These are as follows:

Budget

The RTA budget for FY2021 is 107,662 million baht, down from 112,815M baht in FY2020.^[24]

List of military engagements

Equipment

Rank structure

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers								Officer cadet
Royal Thai Army[25] v t e
	จอมพล Chom phon		พลเอก Phon ek		พลโท Phon tho		พลตรี Phon tri				พันเอก Phan ek		พันโท Phan tho		พันตรี Phan tri		ร้อยเอก Roi ek		ร้อยโท Roi tho			ร้อยตรี Roi tri			นักเรียนนายร้อย Nak-rian nairoi

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Royal Thai Army[25] v t e																																			No insignia
	จ่าสิบเอก Cha sip ek						จ่าสิบโท Cha sip tho		จ่าสิบตรี Cha sip tri								สิบเอก Sip ek						สิบโท Sip tho						สิบตรี Sip tri						พลทหาร Phon thahan

Businesses and infrastructure

The army owns more than 30 golf courses nationwide. The army also owns boxing stadium, 100 petrol stations, racecourses, hotels, retail and coffee shops, and radio and television airwaves (by one count, the armed forces have ownership in 537 radio and TV stations).

• Channel 5
• Channel 7, operated by Bangkok Broadcasting & Television Company Limited (BBTV)

Satellite TV

• TGN

Radio

• Royal Thai Army Radio Network, all 126 stations

See also

• Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters
• Royal Thai Army Radio and Television
• Border Patrol Police
• Thahan Phran
• covert
  Border Patrol "volunteers"
• Thai–Laotian Border War
• Cambodian–Thai border dispute
• Chao Phraya Bodindecha
• Military history of Thailand
• Rajabhakti Park
• Special forces of Thailand

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Royal Thai Army.

• Official website