Israeli technology is playing a subtle yet strategic role in the escalating border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand. As fighting continues near disputed areas such as the Prasat Ta Muen Thom Temple, Thailand has increasingly relied on advanced defense systems developed in Israel to gain a tactical edge.
Thailand’s military, long equipped with a mix of American and Israeli hardware, is reportedly using Israeli self-propelled artillery, reconnaissance drones, and more.
These tools provide precise targeting capabilities and real-time intelligence, allowing the Royal Thai Army (RTA) to monitor Cambodian troop movements and respond swiftly to incursions. In addition, Israeli-made communication platforms may be supporting Thai commanders in maintaining secure lines across contested regions, a critical advantage in volatile border zones.
Thailand’s deployment of armed drones marks a pivotal shift in its military strategy, one that incorporates lessons learned from conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
In the early hours of July 25, Thai forces launched a coordinated aerial campaign that included both F-16 fighter jets and domestically produced armed drones. Those drones, operating in tandem, targeted Cambodian artillery camps, weapons depots, and mobile rocket launchers near the contested Preah Vihear, a 900-year-old Hindu temple surrounded by heavily fortified positions.
Combat footage released by the Thai army showed drones flying in pairs over dense jungle terrain, releasing M261 and M472 mortar bombs. One of the strikes reportedly destroyed a Cambodian arms depot housing dozens of 122mm artillery rockets, while another obliterated a live RM-70 Grad multiple rocket launcher – a Soviet-era multiple rocket system – that had been loaded for launching.
Cambodia’s forces are using Soviet-era gear
This conflict highlights a striking contrast: While Cambodia’s forces are largely outfitted with aging Soviet-era gear and Chinese-supplied armaments, Thailand’s incorporation of Israeli technology enables more surgical responses. And while strikes have hit civilian sites, reports suggest that these technologies have contributed to minimal collateral damage, an outcome that would be much harder to achieve with conventional arms alone.
A leader in defense, the world has, for many years, looked to the Jewish state for security and intelligence, and Israel’s defense industry has leading international companies exporting to countries across the globe. And Thailand is no exception.
Thailand has been acquiring Israeli defense technology since the 1970s, and the relationship has only grown stronger with the transfer of knowledge to locally manufacture and produce certain weapons systems.
In 2012, Israel’s defense giant Elbit Systems signed a contract with Thailand’s Royal Thai Army that involved technology transfer where Elbit built the first (Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System) ATMOS 2000 155mm/52-caliber self-propelled guns, and then the rest were locally produced by the Artillery and Mortar Production Division of the Royal Thai Army’s Weapon Production Center.
According to a 2018 report by Thailand’s Pantip news website, the Thai army received 12 guns for its 721st Artillery Battalion, with options to purchase another 36 systems for other units. The Royal Thai Marine Corps was also reported to have received another six ATMOS systems to provide fire support. Elbit also supplied the Thai Army with 120mm wheeled self-propelled Autonomous Truck Mounted Mortars (ATMMs), mounted on TATA LPTA 715 4x4 utility trucks.
Last year, Thailand’s 711th Artillery Battalion received a prototype of the D11A Multi-Purpose Rocket and Missile Launcher from the state-run Defense Technology Institute (DTI). According to sources, the D11A, mounted on a Tatra 6x6 truck, is the Thai version of Elbit System’s PULS (Precise and Universal Launcher System) that has a range of up to 300 km. and can fire a large range of munitions, such as Elbit’s Accular guided rockets, Russian GRAD rockets, and Chinese SHE-30 and SHE-40 rockets.
In addition to artillery systems, Bangkok also signed an agreement with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, inaugurating the local production of the Spike NLOS and ER guided missile system with Thailand’s Defence Technology Institute (DTI).
Rafael subsidiary Aeronautics Ltd. has also sold the Dominator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the Thai Defense Ministry. The Dominator can carry up to 1,900 kg. in special payloads including cameras, radars, and bombs), simultaneously and can stay airborne for 20 hours.
EMTAN, a small Israeli arms manufacturer, has also sold thousands of rifles and pistols to official Thai government bodies and, in 2022, announced that it was establishing a small arms plant in Thailand to manufacture arms locally.
As the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict intensifies, the imprint of Israeli military technology is increasingly evident, not with an overt presence, but in the precision and strategic edge it affords Thai forces. From guided missiles and drones to advanced rocket launchers and more, Israel’s defense exports have quietly reshaped the battlefield.
While Israel maintains diplomatic discretion, the ripple effect of its defense partnerships in Southeast Asia is unmistakable. This situation underscores how Israeli innovations, originally crafted for local defense, are increasingly reframing the dynamics of localized conflicts from afar.