On Saturday, July 26, 2025, the Thai newspaper Matichon was the first to report that, on the third day of the ongoing military escalation with Cambodia, the Thai armed forces command deployed two F-16ADF/OCU multirole fighters and two JAS 39C Gripen aircraft to the border area near Phu Makhuea mountain and the ancient Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple, with the objective of bombing Cambodian positions.
Photo: Pia Ericson. Försvarets Materielverk
According to the newspaper The Nation, the aircraft dropped 227 kg (500 lb) GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs on Cambodian artillery positions, which had been shelling the border area since Thursday. Both targets were reportedly destroyed.
The ongoing conflict marks the combat debut of Thailand’s F-16s and JAS 39 Gripens. In the case of the Swedish aircraft, it represents a double milestone. No other Gripen user has employed the aircraft in actual combat operations. The only prior exception was Sweden, which deployed eight Gripens to Sicily in support of NATO’s Unified Protector operation over Libya in 2011; however, those aircraft flew only reconnaissance missions, due to Sweden’s neutral status at the time. Until now, the Gripen remained the last Western 4th-generation fighter without combat experience.
On the first day of the escalation, six F-16s used Korean-made KGGB precision-guided bombs against command elements of the 8th and 9th Support Brigades of the Royal Cambodian Army, in the Chong An Ma area of Nam Yuen District, Ubon Province.
According to available information, Thailand’s combat aircraft, F-16s from the 103rd Fighter Squadron and JAS 39s from the 701st Fighter Squadron, were temporarily deployed to Korat Air Base, located in Nakhon Ratchasima Province. It is worth noting that Cambodia currently has no combat aircraft, following the retirement of its aging MiG-21bis, J-6C, MiG-17F, and J-5, suggesting that the Thai deployment is likely sufficient.
Since 2011, Thailand has operated 11 JAS 39C/D Gripen fighters (a twelfth crashed on January 14, 2017). The Thai government is currently negotiating the purchase of up to 12 of the latest JAS 39E/F Gripen variants.
Meanwhile, the country operates a fleet of 48 F-16s, spanning several versions: 12 F-16A ADF, 1 F-16B ADF, 10 F-16A OCU, 7 F-16B OCU, 12 F-16AM MLU, and 6 F-16BM MLU. Among them, the ADF/OCU variants mentioned are expected to be partially replaced by next-generation Gripens by 2031, although not on a one-to-one basis under current budgetary plans.
