31-07-2025
Thai air force debunks Cambodian bomb claim
An old bomb found in a border community in Cambodia and dug up from underground was not dropped from a Thai plane during the recent clashes, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) said on Thursday.
The Phnom Penh Post on Wednesday reported that an MK-84 bomb was found in a residential area and linked its source with the Gripen fighter jets used by the Thai air force.
RTAF spokesman AVM Prapas Sonjaidee debunked the claim. The shell dug up from beneath a residence was old and rusty, he said, and clearly had not been freshly dropped. The Thai air force uses new shells in perfect condition, he said.
Considering the shell's circumference and length, it could be a western bomb, weighing about 2,000 pounds, AVM Prapas said. He added that it did not look like an air-dropped bomb due to the depth and its horizontal placement.
The MK-84, manufactured by US-based General Dynamics, is a 2,000-pound general-purpose aircraft bomb. It was widely used during the Vietnam war in the 1970s.
The Thai air force conducted its operations with precision and never targeted civilian areas, the Special Operations Centre for Thai Cambodian Border Situations Management stated after confirming details with related agencies.
