An open military conflict broke out between Thailand and Cambodia on July 24 due to a long-standing territorial dispute, according to a report by American defense journal Military Watch Magazine.
Following the outbreak of hostilities, the Royal Thai Army confirmed it had deployed Ukrainian-made T-84 main battle tanks to attack Cambodian positions near the border, particularly in the area surrounding the Preah Vihear base. Thai sources claim the tanks are being used to “reclaim lost territory.”
T-84: Soviet Legacy with Modern Limitations
Originally developed in Ukraine in the 2000s, the T-84 is a modernized version of the Soviet T-80UD tank, which was considered one of the most advanced armored vehicles at the end of the Cold War. Despite its superiority over Cambodia’s outdated T-55 tanks, the T-84 is considered limited in performance compared to modern Russian variants like the T-80BVM.
These Russian upgrades offer better mobility through gas turbine engines and more advanced armor and ammunition systems. In contrast, the T-84 still relies on the BM42 armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) round, capable of penetrating only 450mm of homogeneous armor at 2,000 meters—insufficient against modern tank armor.
Thailand the Only Active Operator of T-84s
The Royal Thai Army remains the only active operator of full T-84 tank battalions, while Ukraine itself possesses only a handful of such tanks due to limited defense funding. Thailand ordered 49 T-84s in 2011, but delivery took seven years, hampered by persistent issues within Ukraine’s defense industry.
These delays prompted the Thai Ministry of Defense to consider canceling the deal and ultimately led to a pivot toward Chinese VT-4 tanks, which Bangkok began acquiring in 2017 as part of its armored modernization program.
Western Pressure Derailed Russian T-90 Deal
The choice of the T-84 was largely influenced by Western diplomatic pressure aimed at preventing Thailand from purchasing the Russian T-90, which had initially been favored for the army’s needs. Although the T-84 was eventually delivered, the Thai military later expressed greater satisfaction with the Chinese VT-4, reducing the T-84’s strategic importance in its armed forces.
Future procurements are expected to favor Chinese suppliers, especially as Bangkok evaluates performance in live combat during the current hostilities with Cambodia.
