Thailand’s Air Force has conducted its first known combat use of South Korea’s KGGB precision guidance kits, adapting standard Mk.82 bombs for long-range strikes during ongoing clashes with Cambodian forces.
According to reports, a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) F-16 fighter jet used the KGGB—a GPS-guided glide bomb kit developed by South Korea’s LIG Nex1—to hit Cambodian military targets along the contested border. Sources indicate the airstrikes destroyed a command post, multiple ammunition depots, and at least two BM-21 Grad rocket systems.
Janes previously reported that Thailand had purchased 20 KGGB kits in two separate batches from LIG Nex1 in 2022. The total cost of the contracts was 102 million baht, or approximately $2.8 million. Until now, these systems had not been employed in combat.
The KGGB, or Korean GPS Guided Bomb, functions as a glide kit designed to transform conventional general-purpose bombs like the Mk.82 into precision weapons. The kit includes foldable wings and a combined inertial navigation and satellite guidance system. The circular error probable (CEP) is approximately five meters at shorter ranges and up to 13 meters at its maximum glide range.
Flight testing has shown that the KGGB can hit targets from 47 to 103 kilometers away, with accuracy reportedly ranging from 0.4 to 8 meters depending on distance and conditions.
Janes previously identified South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand as the only operators of the KGGB system. Its design is often compared to the American JDAM-ER, an extended-range joint direct attack munition used by U.S. and allied air forces.
RTAF officials said the strikes were part of broader military operations in response to Cambodian incursions into Thai territory. Fighting erupted on July 24 and has since escalated across multiple districts near the eastern provinces of Surin and Trat.
Thai military sources confirmed that the guided bomb strikes were aimed at disrupting Cambodian artillery units and preventing further attacks on Thai positions. The use of precision-guided munitions is seen as a calculated step to increase accuracy and limit collateral damage in civilian-populated zones near the border.