RTA Prepares to Receive Boeing AH-6i Little Bird

02 Februari 2026

Army Aviation Center (AAC), Royal Thai Army (RTA) held AH-6i Patches ceremony to first pilots, technicians and personnel have passed the entrance examination for eight AH-6i Little Bird light attack helicopters (photos: Royal Thai Army)

The latest progress on the project to purchase eight Boeing AH-6i Little Bird armed reconnaissance helicopters for the Royal Thai Army is that the Army Aviation Center (AAC) held a ceremony in January 2026 to hand over the AH-6i attack helicopter patches to the first batch of pilots, mechanics, and personnel from various units who passed the system training selection process.

Since signing the approximately $103.8 million (approximately 3,342,589,014 baht) supply contract approved by the U.S. government in 2019, Boeing's Mesa aircraft factory has begun flight testing the first of eight AH-6i armed reconnaissance helicopters for the Royal Thai Army starting in 2024, with the original contract stipulating delivery in 2025.

However, delivery has been postponed to sometime in 2026. The Royal Thai Army will deploy the AH-6i to the 3rd Aviation Battalion, Aviation Regiment, Army Aviation Center after the completion of delivery to Thailand. Boeing will close its AH-6i light attack helicopter production line as there are no further customer orders.

According to the US sales approval documents, eight new AH-6i armed reconnaissance helicopters will replace seven long-serving Bell AH-1F Cobra attack helicopters currently in service at the 3rd Aviation Battalion, Aviation Regiment, Army Aviation Center. The first four of these helicopters entered service with the Royal Thai Army between 1990-1991, with one lost in an accident in 2000.

AH-6i Little Bird light attack helicopters for Royal Thai Army (photo: Boeing)

And to procure another 4 aircraft that had previously served in the US Army in 2012, it is noteworthy that while being procured under the armed reconnaissance helicopter program, similar to the 8 AS550 C3 Fennec (Airbus Helicopters H125M) aircraft stationed at the 1st Aviation Battalion, Army Aviation Department, which have been deployed in actual field operations such as deployment in the southern border region.

In its latest press releases, the Royal Thai Army will refer to the AH-6i as an "Attack Helicopter" (ฮ.จ.) rather than an "Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter" (ฮ.ลว/อว.). This is according to the Royal Thai Army White Paper 2024, which specifies the procurement of new attack helicopters (via the US Foreign Trade Sales (FMS), either the Boeing AH-6E Apache or the Bell AH-1Z Viper) as part of a multi-pronged plan to enhance the Royal Thai Army's aircraft capabilities during the fiscal years 2026-2036.

(AAG)