Thailand-Cambodia conflict: Thai army seizes Chinese-produced ATGMs

Poly Technologies showcased its GAM-102 ATGM at DSA 2018. (Janes/Jayesh Dhingra)

The Royal Thai Army (RTA) has captured a haul of Chinese-made manportable GAM‐102 anti‐tank guided missile (ATGM) systems that it says are being operated by the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces in the two countries' ongoing conflict.

In a press briefing on 14 December an RTA spokesperson said that following a front-line battle at Chong An Ma in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, the RTA seized the GAM‐102s after Cambodian troops retreated from contested high ground.

In its briefing the RTA showed images and footage of several shoulder‐launched GAM‐102 ATGMs and associated equipment including tripods it said the Cambodian troops had left behind.

If Cambodia's operation of the GAM‐102 is confirmed, it would make its military the first known user of the system, which is produced by China's Poly Technologies and was unveiled at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur in 2018. At this defence show an official from Poly Technologies told Janes that the ATGM is in production but did not disclose the customer.

The GAM‐102 is available in both tripod‐mounted and vehicle‐borne roles. The missile system is similar in appearance to the US-produced FGM-148 Javelin ATGM. The Chinese missile's external configuration and the launch tube assembly share several similarities, alongside some performance parameters.

The GAM‐102 missile has a diameter of 152 mm, a length of 1.2 m, and a total weight of 26 kg including the disposable tube. The missile, which incorporates an uncooled imaging infrared seeker, is propelled by a booster and main rocket motor that provides a maximum speed of 170 m/s. The range is between 300 m and 4 km.

The GAM‐102 was seized by the Thai military at the end of the first week of conflict between the two Southeast Asian neighbours.