Royal Cambodian Air Force
| Royal Cambodian Air Force | |
|---|---|
| កងទ័ពជើងអាកាស | |
Badge of the Royal Cambodian Air Force | |
| Founded | 9 November 1953 |
| Country | Cambodia |
| Allegiance | HM The King |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | 1,500 personnel 31 aircraft [1] |
| Part of | Royal Cambodian Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
| Mottos | "ការពារព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា" (Khmer) ("Defend the Kingdom of Cambodia") |
| Mascot | Aafra Zarnaz Auhona |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | General Soeung Samnang |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel | |
| Fin flash | |
| Flag | |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Helicopter | Mi-8, Mi-17, Z-9, AW109, AS355 |
| Trainer | L-39NG |
| Transport | A320, MA60, Y-12, BN-2 |
The Royal Cambodian Air Force (Khmer: កងទ័ពជើងអាកាស, romanized: Kâng Toăp Cheung Akas [kɑːŋtɔəp cəːŋ ʔaːkaːh]; lit. 'Air Force') is the branch of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces which is charged with operating all military aircraft in Cambodia.
Organisation
The Royal Cambodian Air Force is commanded by General Soeung Samnang, who has four deputy commanders beneath him. The Air Force itself is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of National Defence.
The Air Force headquarters are located at Phnom Penh International Airport and is still sign posted Pochentong Air Base. The only operational aircraft at Pochentong Air Base are from the VIP squadron. Maintenance of aircraft and helicopters is also at Pochentong. as the Z-9 and Mi-17 helicopters from the helicopter squadron are based at Phnom Penh International Airport and Siem Reap International Airport.
Due to the absence of operational fighter aircraft, Cambodia is unable to respond to or intercept aerial operations conducted by the Royal Thai Air Force. In contrast, Thailand possesses modern combat assets, including the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the JAS-39 Gripen, making Thailand’s air superiority evident. As a result, Cambodia has to rely solely on ground-based air defense systems, which are insufficient to establish a balance of military power.
Inventory
Previous inventory
In the past some MiG-21bis, L-39C Albatros, J-6C, MiG-17F, J-5, MiG-15UTI and CM.170R Magister were operational. These aircraft in 2023 could be seen on the ground in Phnom Penh International Airport. All fighter planes are no longer operational.
| Transport | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft | Image | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
| Airbus A320 | France | VIP transport | 1[3] | |||
| Xian MA60 | China | Transport | 2[4] | |||
| Harbin Y-12 | China | Transport / Utility | 1[4] | |||
| Britten-Norman BN-2 | United Kingdom | Transport | 1[4] | |||
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Aircraft | Image | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
| Mil Mi-8 | Soviet Union | Utility | 9[5] | |||
| Mil Mi-17 | Soviet Union | Utility | 6[5] | |||
| Harbin Z-9 | China | Utility | 9[4] | |||
| Eurocopter AS355 | France | Utility | 1[5] | Stored[6] | ||
| AgustaWestland AW109 | Italy | Utility | 1[4][7] | |||
| Trainer | ||||||
| Aircraft | Image | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Note |
| L-39NG | Czech Republic | Advanced jet trainer/
Light combat aircraft |
(0)+5 | 5 Trainer still on order in 2020 and interested by the RCAF in 2025. | ||
Sport
The force maintains a professional association football team as one of its branches, which formerly played in the C-League.
Ranks
Commissioned officer ranks
The rank insignia of commissioned officers.
| Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Cambodian Air Force |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| នាយឧត្ដមសេនីយ៍ Neay utdamsenei |
ឧត្ដមសេនីយ៍ឯក Utdamsenei ek |
ឧត្តមសេនីយ៍ទោ Utdamsenei tou |
ឧត្តមសេនីយ៍ត្រី Utdamsenei trei |
វរសេនីយ៍ឯក Veareasenei ek |
វរសេនីយ៍ទោ Veareasenei tou |
វរសេនីយ៍ត្រី Veareasenei trei |
អនុសេនីយ៍ឯក Anusenei ek |
អនុសេនីយ៍ទោ Anusenei tou |
អនុសេនីយ៍ត្រី Anusenei trei | |||||||||||||||
Other ranks
The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Cambodian Air Force |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ព្រឹន្ទបាលឯក Pruentobal ek |
ព្រឹន្ទបាលទោ Pruentobal tou |
ពលបាលឯក Polobal ek |
ពលបាលទោ Polobal tou |
ពលបាលត្រី Polobal trei |
នាយឯក Neay ek |
នាយទោ Neay tou |
ពលឯក Pol ek |
ពលទោ Pol tou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
- Cambodian Civil War
- Khmer National Armed Forces
- Khmer Air Force
- Royal Cambodian Army
- Royal Cambodian Armed Forces
- Royal Cambodian Navy
- Weapons of the Cambodian Civil War
References
- ^ "Cambodia and Thailand conflict: How do their militaries compare?".
- ^ "World Air Forces 2015 pg. 12". Flightglobal Insight. 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ^ "Air Force One of Cambodia". alfredmeier.me. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "World Air Forces 2025". FlightGlobal. 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "World Air Forces 2023". Flightglobal Insight. 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
- ^ "Eurocopter AS355N Ecureuil 2 C/N 5622 Built 1996". helis.com. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ "Trade Registers". armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- Hoyle, Craig. "World Air Forces Directory". Flight International, 11–17 December 2012, Vol. 182 No. 5370. pp. 40–64. ISSN 0015-3710.
- Hoyle, Craig. "World Air Forces Directory". Flight International. Vol. 194, No. 5665, 4–10 December 2018, pp. 32–60. ISSN 0015-3710
- World Aircraft Information Files. Brightstar Publishing, London. File 337 Sheet 05