List of equipment of the Royal Cambodian Army

This is a list of the equipment used by the Royal Cambodian Army.

In order to decrease its dependence on former Warsaw Pact military equipment (a legacy of the Kampuchea People's Revolutionary Armed Forces), Cambodia has begun to explore the possibility of purchasing Chinese and European vehicles and equipment.

On 10 December 2021, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Samdech Hun Sen, ordered the Cambodian Armed Forces to destroy or put into reserve all US-origin military equipment, in response to the American backed military embargo imposed on Cambodia. ^{[1] [2]}

Infantry equipment

Sidearms

Name	Image	Origin	Type	Calibre	Notes
CF98		China	Semi-automatic pistol	9x19mm Parabellum	Standard issue. [3] [4]
Pindad G2 Elite		Indonesia	Semi-automatic pistol	9x19mm Parabellum	Used by Special Force Command. [5] [6] [7]
CZ P-10 C		Czech Republic	Semi-automatic pistol	9x19mm Parabellum	Used by Special Force Command. [8] [9]
Type 54		China	Semi-automatic pistol	7.62x25mm Tokarev	Limited use. Inherited from the KPRAF. [8] [9]
Tokarev		Soviet Union
Makarov				9×18mm Makarov

Infantry rifles

Name	Image	Origin	Type	Calibre	Notes
Type 56		China	Assault rifle	7.62×39mm	Standard issue. [8] [9]
Type 81-1
Norinco CQ		China		5.56×45mm NATO	CQ 311 used by Royal Cambodian Army, along with M16 rifle. [10] [11] [12]
K1A		Republic of Korea	Carbine	5.56×45mm NATO	Used by Special Forces Command. [13]
K2C
Pindad SS2-V5 A1		Indonesia			Used by Special Forces Command. [5] [6] [7]
M16A1		United States	Assault rifle	5.56×45mm NATO	Limited use. Inherited from the KPRAF. [8] [14] [15]
SKS		Soviet Union	Semi-automatic rifle	7.62×39mm	Limited use. Inherited from the KPRAF. [8] [9]
AK-47			Assault rifle
AKM

Precision Rifles

Name	Image	Origin	Type	Calibre	Notes
Type 79 [8] [9]		China   Soviet Union	Sniper rifle	7.62×54mmR	Norinco-made copy of the SVD, known as the Type 79. Used by Special Forces Command. Inherited from the KPRAF.

Machine Guns

Name	Image	Origin	Type	Calibre	Notes
RPD [8] [9]		Soviet Union	Light machine gun	7.62×39mm	Standard Issue. Inherited from the KPRAF.
RPK [8] [9]
Type 81 LMG [8] [9]		China
PKM [8] [9]		Soviet Union   Russia	General-purpose machine gun	7.62×54mmR
M84 [8] [9]		Yugoslavia
DShK [8] [9]		Soviet Union	Heavy machine gun	12.7×108mm
W85 [16]		China			Standard Issue.
QJZ-89 [8] [9]

Grenade launchers

Name	Image	Origin	Type	Calibre	Notes
M79 [8] [9]		United States	Grenade launcher	40×46mm	Limited use. Inherited from the KPRAF.
M203 [8] [9]

Anti-tank

Name	Image	Origin	Type	Calibre	Notes
RPG-2 [8] [9]		Soviet Union	Rocket-propelled grenade	82mm	Standard issue. Inherited from the KPRAF.
RPG-7 [8] [9]				85mm
Type 69 [8] [9]		China			Standard issue.
PF-89 [17]			Anti-tank rocket launcher	80mm	Limited use.

Vehicles

Armoured vehicles

Name	Image	Origin	Number	Notes
Main battle tank
T-54/T-55		Soviet Union	300+ [18]	A, AM2B, AMV variants
Type 59-II		China	50 [18]
T-55AM1		Czechoslovakia	100 [18]	T-55AM1 and T-55AM2 Czechoslovak variant and T-55AM2BP Polish variant.
Light tanks
Type 63-I		China	20 [18]
Type 62-I			50 [18]
Armoured reconnaissance
BRDM-2		Soviet Union	200+ [18]
Infantry fighting vehicles
BMP-1		Soviet Union	100 [18]	61 BMP-1 from the Czech Republic, 8 BVP-1 from Slovakia, and 30 from the former KPRAF.
Armoured personnel carriers
OT-64		Czechoslovakia	30 [18]
BTR-60		Soviet Union	200 [18]
BTR-152
YW531		China	50 [18]	YW531 is a (Type 63 APC) donated by China.
ZFB-05		China	Unknown [18]
BB 60		Cambodia	6 [18]
Armoured utility vehicles
Tigr (military vehicle)		Russia	20 [18]
Dongfeng Mengshi		China	50 [18]
Dongfeng EQ2050 [19]
Iveco VM 90 [ citation needed ]
Demining vehicles
Bozena		Slovakia
RA-140 DS		Finland	n/a [18]
Amphibious vehicles
PTS-2 [ citation needed ]
Tractor units
AT-T

Military trucks and support vehicles

Name	Origin	Type	Quantity	Notes
Cargo trucks
KamAZ-43114 [20]	Russia	Cargo truck	Unknown	Used by border units and units sent on UN peacekeeping operations.
Dongfeng EQ2162GS [21]	China		>227	Standard truck of the RCA. Received from China as a donation in 2010, but unknown quantities have been donated over the years.
Hongyan Genpaw [22]			183	Purchased using private funds. Split between the military, law enforcement and bodyguard unit (BHQ).
Hongyan Genlyon [22]			107
Tractor units
ZIL-130V1 [23]	Soviet Union	Tractor unit	Unknown	Possibly retired. Used during the 1997 Cambodian coup d'état.
Scania R500 [24]	Sweden			Spotted during the 2008–2013 Cambodian–Thai border crisis being used transport T-55s from Sihanoukville to Preah Vihear.
Engineering and support vehicles
Shacman L3000 [25]	China	Tanker truck	290	Used for transporting soldiers and other military equipment.
Light utility vehicles
Beijing BJ80 [19]	China	Light utility vehicle	Unknown
KIA KM131 [26]	Republic of Korea			Widespread usage within the RCA. Examples used by SF-911 are equipped with PKM or Type 80 GPMGs.[ citation needed ]

Anti-tank weapons

Recoilless rifles

Name	Image	Origin	Caliber	Number	Notes
RCL
B-10		Soviet Union	82mm	n/a [18]
B-11			107mm
Armbrust		West Germany	67mm		[27]

Artillery

Name	Image	Origin	Caliber	Number	Notes
Mortar (weapon)
M-37		Soviet Union	82mm	n/a [18]
M-43			120mm
M-160			160mm
TOWED
ZIS-3		Soviet Union	76mm	[18]	10 Units
M-30			122mm		50 Units
D-30					120 Units
M-46			130mm		150 Units
Type-59-I		China		100 Units	Supplied by China in the 1970s
Type 66			152mm	80 Units	Donated by China
M101A1		United States	105mm	unknown	Still in service of ceremonial use.
Self-propelled artillery
SH-1		China	155mm	30 [18]	Cambodia has equipped 30 PCL-09 with a version of SH-1 truck from china.
Multiple rocket launcher
Type-63		China	107mm	20 [18]
BM-21		Soviet Union	122mm	200 [18]
PHL-81		China		100 [18]	100 PHL-81 was bought by the Cambodian armed forces from China.
PHL-90B				25 [18]	PHL-90B is a variant of the PHL-81 bought by the Cambodian armed forces from China. The total service with Type 81 and Type 90B is 125 units.
RM-70		Czechoslovakia		125 [18]	In active service. 5 RM-70. From Slovakia. 120 RM-70. From the Czech Republic.
BM-13-16		Soviet Union	132mm	n/a [18]
BM-14-16			140mm	20 [18]
PHL-03		China	300mm	6 [18]	6 launchers, 2 WS2400, 2 WS2500, and 1 BeiBen command post. [28]

Air defence

Name	Image	Origin	Number	Notes
Guns
ZPU-1		Soviet Union	n/a [18]
ZPU-2
ZPU-4
M-1939				30 received in the late 1970s
S-60				100 in service by 2017
Point-defence
HN-5		China	[18]	50
FN-6			[18]	100
FN-16		China	[18]	200
QW-3			[18]	100
Medium-range
KS-1C		China	4 batteries [18]	Enter Service in 2023

References

1. "Cambodian PM orders armed forces not to use U.S. made military equipment". Xinhua News Agency. 10 December 2021.
2. Dara, Mech (10 December 2021). "Hun Sen Orders American-Made Weapons Destroyed, 'Thanks' US for Arms Embargo". VOD.
3. "왕립 캄보디아군 VOL.1" [Royal Cambodian Army Vol.1]. kjclub.com (in Korean). Retrieved 12 March 2021.
4. Bolding, Damon (29 April 2014). "PLA Infantry Weapons: Small Arms of the World's Largest Army". Small Arms Defense Journal. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
5. TONG (30 August 2024). "Indonesia Provides $500,000 in Military Aid to Cambodia". FRESH NEWS. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
6. Indraini, Anisa (6 June 2024). "RI Hibahkan Senjata dan Amunisi ke Kamboja Rp 8,82 M, Ini Alasannya". detikfinance (in Indonesian). Retrieved 14 September 2024.
7. "Kementerian Pertahanan Republik Indonesia". www.kemhan.go.id. 29 August 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
8. Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (27 January 2009). ISBN   978-0-7106-2869-5.
9. Wille, Christina (2006), How Many Weapons are there in Cambodia? (PDF), Small Arms Survey, archived from the original (PDF) on 26 December 2010
10. "The Chinese CQA – Small Arms Defense Journal" . Retrieved 10 August 2025.
11. ""Civil War of Chinese Weapons?" Thai-Cambodian Clash Exposes a Regional Divide in Military Modernization". The China-Global South Project. 31 July 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
12. TAB (8 August 2025). "Small Arms of the 2025 Thai-Cambodia Border Clash". The Armourers Bench. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
13. Picard, Michael; Holtom, Paul; Mangan, Fiona (2019). Trade Update 2019. Transfers, Transparency, and South-east Asia Spotlight (PDF). Small Arms Survey. ISBN   978-2-940548-75-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
14. Berrigan, Frida; Ciarrocca, Michelle (November 2000). "Report: Profiling the Small Arms Industry – World Policy Institute – Research Project". World Policy Institute. Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
15. Pear, Robert (1 January 1990). "CAMBODIA ASSERTS U.S. GUERRILLA TIES". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 1 December 2022.
16. "W85式/QJC88式高射机枪" (in Chinese). firearmsworld.net. 3 February 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
17. Coatepeque (25 October 2009). "China Defense Blog: Cambodia's Chinese Weapon on Parade". China Defense Blog. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
18. IISS 2025.
19. Bunthoeurn, Orm (6 October 2020). "Military vehicles from China given to RCAF". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
20. "Military stand-off on Laos border. - Page 2 - Cambodia Expats Online: Forum | News | Information | Blog". cambodiaexpatsonline.com. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
21. China Gives 257 Military Trucks to Cambodia (Cambodia news in Khmer) , retrieved 13 March 2021
22. "Purchase of military trucks not from national budget: PM". Khmer Times. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
23. Cambodia - Fighting continues , retrieved 13 March 2021
24. "Editorials on Cambodia:: Soviet-made T-55 tank is unloaded at Preah Sihanouk port - Cambodian Information Center". editorials.cambodia.org. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
25. "Handover Ceremony of 10 Oil Tanker Trucks". akp.gov.kh. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
26. Odom, Sek (24 March 2017). "South Korea Donates Vehicles, Parts to National Armed Forces". The Cambodia Daily. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
27. Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010 (35th ed.). Jane's Information Group. ISBN   978-0-7106-2869-5.
28. office_zzam (30 May 2022). "Cambodian army receives AR2 300mm MLRS rocket launcher vehicles from C". armyrecognition.com. Retrieved 26 December 2024.

Sources

• International Institute for Strategic Studies (12 February 2025). The Military Balance 2025. London: Routledge. ISBN   978-1-003-63076-0.