ROYAL THAI AIR FORCE

 

It is intended that this page will ultimately include as full a listing as possible of the aircraft operated by the Royal Thai Air Force. This listing is largely based on personal observations and research, with thanks also due to the Royal Thai Air Force, many Air Britain publications, Marco Dijkshoorn (Scramble), Ed Young’s “Aerial Nationalism – A History of Aviation in Thailand” (Smithsonian 1995), Andreas Parsch, Sakpinit Promthep, Martin Best and others. Specific credits are also given as appropriate on the linked pages.

 

Details of types not yet fully listed below are available from me, through my e-mail on the opening page.

 

Serial number system

 

Aircraft usually wear a variety of serials and codes. The most obvious and frequently reported are the Roman script ‘serial’ based on the previous USAF serial, BuNo or c/n, plus in some cases a squadron code.  

 

As is fairly well known however, the RTAF has since 1949 also operated its own serial number system which describes the aircraft role, type, individual serial and year of acquisition; these serials are almost without exception (T-33’s being one) applied to the aircraft in Thai script, and are usually quite small. Role numbers (e.g. Kh9 for Curtiss Hawk II) were also allocated in retrospect to all earlier types except the Breguets and Nieuports acquired in 1913.

 

As an example, the sixth F-86L wore serial ‘30843’ (being ex 53-0843) plus squadron code ‘1221’. In addition it wore the Thai serial (Thai characters with their Roman equivalent):-

 

บ

ข

๑

๗

ก

-

๖

/

๐

๖

B.

Kh

1

7

k

-

6

/

0

6

 

Briefly, in this case:-

 

‘B.’ indicates an aircraft (‘bin’ = aircraft in Thai), and is common to all types. This first character is not always worn.

 

‘Kh’ indicates that the aircraft’s role is that of ‘fighter’

 

‘17’ indicates that the F-86 is the 17th fighter type

 

‘k’ indicates a sub-type; in this example the F-86F is Kh17, whereas the F-86L is Kh17k

 

‘6’ indicates the 6th F-86 procured

 

‘06’ indicates the year of procurement as 2506 in the Buddhist calendar (= 1963).

 

In some cases the role of an aircraft has changed, or aircraft have a dual role. In such cases two ‘role’ letters may be used. For example the T-28 was allocated a basic ‘role’ letter in the trainer series as ‘F13’. However most T-28’s fulfilled a ground attack role, and most therefore wore serials in the ‘B.JF13-x/xx’ series, ‘J’ indicating the attack role.

 

Roman

 

Thai

 

Role

 

 

F

ฝ

trainer

ฝึก

H

ฮ

helicopter

เฮลิคอปเตอร์

HPhT

ฮผท

aerial mapping helicopter

 

J

จ

attack

โจมตี

Kh

ข

fighter

ขุบไล่

KhF

ขฝ

fighter / trainer

ขุบไล่ ฝึก

L

ล

transport

 

Ph

พ

civil

 

PhT

ผท 

aerial mapping

แผนที่

T

ต

observation / reconnaissance

 

T

 ท

bomber

ทิ้งระเบิด

ThOr

ทอ 

locally-built designs

 

Th

ธ

utility / liaison

 

R

ร

glider

 

S

ส 

liaison

 

W

 

UAV

 

 

The list below summarises aircraft operated by the RTAF; highlighted links lead to more detailed data on each type.  

 

 

Type

Serial (Roman)

Serial (Thai)

No.

Dates

Notes

 

 

1913

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breguet III

 

 

5

1913-??

4 brought back from France; 5th locally built 1915

 

 

Nieuport IIN / IVG

 

 

4

1913-??

4 brought back from France

 

 

Trainer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nieuport 23

B.F1

บ.ฝ๑

~12

1918-35

Part of a batch of 12 Nieuports delivered 1918; others possibly locally-built

 

 

Nieuport 18

B.F2

บ.ฝ๒

~12

1918-35

Part of a batch of 12 Nieuports delivered 1918; others locally-built

 

 

Consolidated PT-1

B.F3

บ.ฝ๓

4

1928-39

Bought for comparison with Avro 504N

 

 

Avro 504N

B.F4

บ.ฝ๔

70+

1930-48

C/ns 390 to 409 delivered 1930; 50+ manufactured locally; 1 transferred to Navy 1939

 

 

Vought Corsair V-93S (mod)

B.F5

บ.ฝ๕

10+

1939-49

Locally built trainer version with R760 engine

 

 

Tachikawa Ki-55

B.F6

บ.ฝ๖

24

1942-50

24 delivered 1942

 

 

Miles M.14A Magister

B.F7

บ.ฝ๗

20

1947-52

Delivered Nov-47 thro’ Mar-48; some believed dd to Navy; Navy survivors to RTAF after Jun-51

 

 

North American T-6

B.F8

บ.ฝ๘

220

1948-74

30 T-6D bought 1948; 60 T-6D acquired 1950; 30 T-6F delivered 1951; 25 T-6D delivered 1951; 75 T-6G supplied under MAP 1957/58

 

DHC Chipmunk

B.F9

บ.ฝ๙

66

1950-89

18 DHC-1B-2 delivered 1950, followed by 48 T.20 Jun-51 thro’ 1954

 

 

DH.82A Tiger Moth

B.F10

บ.ฝ๑๐

34

1951-61

Only 31 identified; transferred from Navy after Jun-51 coup

 

 

Lockheed T-33A

B.F11

บ.ฝ๑๑

46

1955-94

6 T-33A & 3 RT-33A delivered Jul-55 to 10 Squadron, followed by 1 RT-33A in 1960, 7 T-33A in 1962, 2 T-33A & 3 RT-33A in 1967, 12 T-33A in 1969/70, 1 RT-33A in 1970, 12 ex French AF in 1982/83 and 7 T-33A in 1988

 

 

Lockheed RT-33A

B.TF11

บ.ตฝ๑๑

8

1955-96

 

Cessna T-37B/C

B.F12

บ.ฝ๑๒

22

1961-96

8 T-37B delivered 1961; 6 T-37C in 1970; 2 T-37C in 1972; 6 T-37B in 1980

 

 

North American T-28D

B.F13

บ.ฝ๑๓

40

1962-84

At least 128 delivered (40 reported dd 1962 & 88 late 60’s / early 70’s)

 

 

North American AT-28D

B.JF13

บ.จฝ๑๓

88

1962-88

 

 

Cessna T-41D

B.F14

บ.ฝ๑๔

13

1968-date

12 delivered 1968, plus a 13th ex Cambodian AF in 1975

 

 

SIAI SF-260

B.F15

บ.ฝ๑๕

18

1973-99

 12 SF-260MT delivered 1973/74 (one of which was lost on dd and replaced by a 13th aircraft); 6 SF-260W dd 1978

 

 

NZAI CT/4 Airtrainer

B.F16

บ.ฝ๑๖

54

1974-date

24 CT/4A delivered 1974, 6 CT/4B delivered 1992, 16 CT/4E delivered 1999 thro’ 2001, 8 CT/4E delivered 2004/05

 

 

RTAF4 Chantra

B.F17

บ.ฝ๑๗

13 ?

1974-89

Ex B.ThOr4; 1 prototype & 12 (?) production conversions from Chipmunk T.20 from 1974

 

 

RFB Fantrainer 400

B.F18

บ.ฝ๑๘

11

1988-94

31 Fantrainer 400 & 16 Fantrainer 600 ordered plus 16 Fantrainer 600 options. One 400 & one 600 delivered complete Dec-84 and the remainder in kit form for local assembly; planned to produce 7 in 1984, 22 in 1985 & 18 in 1986, but apparently only 11 Fantrainer 400 and 15 Fantrainer 600 actually built

 

 

RFB Fantrainer 600

B.F18k

บ.ฝ๑๘ก

15

1988-94

 

Pilatus PC9

B.F19

บ.ฝ๑๙

26

1991-date

Delivered 1991 thro’ 1996

 

 

Helicopter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Westland S-51

B.H1

บ.ฮ๑

3

1950-54

Ex G-AMAS, G-AMAT & G-AMJW; G-AMAK w/o before delivery

 

 

Sikorsky H-5A

B.H1k

บ.ฮ๑ก

1

1953-54

Ex 43-46607; in RTAF Museum

 

 

Hiller 360

B.H2

บ.ฮ๒

1

1950-52

Either c/n 131 or 156; other to Police

 

 

Hiller UH-12B

B.H2k

บ.ฮ๒ก

4

1952-62

C/ns 596, 597, 598 & 599

 

 

Sikorksy S-55 / H-19

B.H3

บ.ฮ๓

11

1954-65

6 S-55 delivered 1954 & 5 H-19A 1959

 

 

Sikorksy S-58 / H-34

B.H4

บ.