On May 16, the Royal Thai Air Force reported that at 12:42 PM, it urgently deployed two F-16 fighter jets from Wing 4 in Takhli, Nakhon Sawan, to intercept a high-performance K-8 aircraft approaching Thailand’s border in Kanchanaburi province.
At 1:30 PM, Air Vice Marshal Prapas Sonjaidee, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Air Force, clarified that a single Myanmar military K-8 aircraft had approached the Thai border near Mueang District, Kanchanaburi, at approximately 12:31 PM.
Air control and early warning units detected the aircraft’s proximity to the border and immediately responded according to standard procedures. This included issuing warnings over emergency frequencies (On Guard) and dispatching the F-16s to conduct an air combat patrol mission, demonstrating Thailand’s airspace control and defense readiness.
The Myanmar aircraft turned away from the Thai border at 12:48 PM without showing any hostile behavior or actions that threatened Thailand’s national security.
The Royal Thai Air Force reaffirmed that protecting Thai airspace sovereignty is a top priority, consistently enforced through surveillance, detection, identification, and interception of any aircraft displaying unusual behavior or approaching the border in a potentially threatening manner. Close coordination is maintained with relevant agencies both locally and nationally to ensure public confidence in the safety of Thai airspace.
The K-8 or Karakorum-8 is a single-engine advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft co-developed by China’s Hongdu Aviation Industry Corporation (HAIC) and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).