| Country: | Democratic Kampuchea |
| Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea | |
| Native Name: | កងទ័ពរំដោះកម្ពុជា |
| Founded: | 1977 |
| Disbanded: | 1979 |
| Branches: |
|
| Headquarters: | Phnom Penh |
| Commander-In-Chief: | Pol Pot |
| Chief Minister: | Son Sen |
| Chief Minister Title: | Minister of National Defense |
| Conscription: | Yes |
| Active: | 140,000 |
| Reserve: | 80,000 |
| Foreign Suppliers: |  China(until 1976) |
The Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea (Central Khmer: កងទ័ពរំដោះកម្ពុជា, RAK) was the military of Democratic Kampuchea.
During the Democratic Kampuchea days, the 68,000-member Khmer Rouge-dominated KPNLAF (Khmer People's National Liberation Armed Forces) force, which completed its conquest of Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia in April 1975, was renamed the RAK (Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea). This name dated back to the peasant uprising that broke out in the Samlout District of Battambang province in 1967. Under its long-time commander and then Minister of Defense Son Sen, the RAK had 230 battalions in 35 to 40 regiments and in 12 to 14 brigades. The command structure in units was based on three-person committees in which the political commissar ranked higher than the military commander and his deputy.
Cambodia was divided into zones and special sectors by the RAK, the boundaries of which changed slightly over the years. Within these areas, the RAK's first task was the peremptory execution of former Khmer National Armed Forces (FANK) officers and of their families, without trial or fanfare to eliminate Khmer Rouge enemies. The RAK's next priority was to consolidate into a national army the separate forces that were operating more or less autonomously in the various zones. The Khmer Rouge units were commanded by zonal secretaries who were simultaneously party and military officers, some of whom were said to have manifested "warlord characteristics". Troops from one zone frequently were sent to another zone to enforce discipline. These efforts to discipline zonal secretaries and their dissident or ideologically impure cadres gave rise to the purges that were to decimate RAK ranks, to undermine the morale of the victorious army, and to generate the seeds of rebellion.[1] In this way, the Khmer Rouge used the LAK to sustain and fuel its violent campaign. The Air Force of the Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea was formed in 1977 and disband in 1979.[2]
The Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea was the official name of the army of Democratic Kampuchea[3] [4] during the period of 1975 to 1979, mainly consisting of Khmer Rouge operatives. In 1979 during the Cambodian–Vietnamese War it was reformed into the National Army of Democratic Kampuchea to continue to fight against the People's Army of Vietnam and the new Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Armed Forces.
The Revolutionary Navy of Kampuchea (Central Khmer: កងទ័ពជើងទឹករំដោះកម្ពុជា, LNK) under the new Khmer Rouge regime had a backbone force of 17 American-made Swift class patrol boats (seven of which were sunk in May 1975 by U.S. air attack during the Mayaguez incident). Additionally the Navy also possessed 2 submarine chasers E311 and E312 (PC-461-class), 3 LCUs and 1 LCM and a number of small river boats.
The Air Force of the Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea (Central Khmer: កងទ័ពអាកាសនៃកងទ័ពរំដោះកម្ពុជា, AFLAK) was mainly defunct for the time that Democratic Kampuchea existed. Many aircraft were captured from Khmer Air Force including many western types. During the Mayaguez incident 5 T-28 Trojan aircraft were destroyed. All aircraft were destroyed or captured in 1979 during the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia.
| Name | Origin | Quantity | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light tanks | ||||
| Type 62 | 20 | Supplied by China during and after the Cambodian Civil War. | ||
| Type 63 | ~10 | |||
| Armored personnel carriers | ||||
| M113 | ~200 | Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War. | ||
| Name | Origin | Caliber | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mortars | ||||
| M29 | 81mm | Unknown | Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War. | |
| Recoilless rifles | ||||
| M20 | 75mm | Unknown | Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War. | |
| M40 | 105mm | |||
| Anti-tank guns | ||||
| ZiS-3 | 76mm | ~10 | Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War. | |
| Howitzers | ||||
| M46 | 130mm | ~30 | Supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War. | |
| M-30 | 122mm | ~10 | Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War. | |
| M101 | 105mm | ~20 | ||
| M114 | 155mm | ~10 | ||
| Multiple rocket launchers | ||||
| BM-13 | 132mm | ~10 | Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War. | |
| Name | Origin | Caliber | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-aircraft guns | ||||
| ZPU | 14.5mm | Unknown | Captured from FANK and supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War. | |
| 61-K | 37mm | ~30 | ||
| S-60 | 57mm | ~10 | ||
| Aircraft | Origin | Quantity | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter aircraft | ||||
| Shenyang J-6C | 6[6] | Supplied by China in 1977. | ||
| Trainer aircraft | ||||
| GY-80 Horizon | 4 | Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War. | ||
| Cessna O-1 Bird Dog | 10 | |||
| Attack aircraft | ||||
| Helio AU-24A Stallion | 9 | Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War. | ||
| T-28D Trojan | 22 | 5 destroyed during the Mayagüez Incident. | ||
| Cessna A-37B Dragonfly | 10 | Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War. | ||
| Transports | ||||
| Fairchild C-123K Provider | 7 | Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War. | ||
| Douglas C-47 | 14 | |||
| Douglas AC-47 Spooky | 6 | |||
| Bombers | ||||
| Harbin H-5 | 3 | Supplied by China in 1977. | ||
| Utility helicopters | ||||
| Bell UH-1H/1G | 20 | Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War. | ||
| Ship | Origin | Hull number | Quantity | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrol boats | ||||
| Higgins 78ft | Unknown | 2[7] | Sunk during the Mayagüez incident. | |
| Patrol Boat, River | 40[8] [9] | A few have been sunk during the Battle of Ream. | ||
| Patrol Craft Fast | 17 | A few have been sunk during the Mayagüez incident and skirmishes between Thailand and Vietnam. | ||
| PC-461-class | E311[10] - E312[11] | 2 | E311 fled to Thailand. E312 fled to the Philippines. | |
| Landing craft | ||||
| LCM-8 | Unknown | 1 | Sunk during skirmishes between Thailand and Vietnam. | |
| LCU 1466 | 1 | |||
| LCT-6 | 2 | |||
| LSM | Unknown | Unknown. Used in raid Phu Quoc and Tho Chu. | ||