A 7-Eleven store in Thailand, located at coordinates 14.604390957237687, 104.64432581071041—approximately 20 kilometers north of the Cambodian border—was struck by a rocket. Many sources have blamed Cambodia, alleging that a BM-21 Grad was used in the attack. But is this claim accurate? This article examines several reasons why the basis for this accusation may be questionable.

Table of Content

Case 1. Distance between 7-Eleven and Cambodia Border

Many sources report that Cambodia used BM-21 Grad rockets to strike the 7-Eleven area. However, the BM-21 Grad has a maximum range of 20 km, while the distance from the patrolled border to the target exceeds that range. This raises questions: Did the sources misidentify the rocket model? Or is the accusation unfounded altogether?

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These districts are within the range of Cambodia’s BM-21 multiple rocket launchers, which can strike targets up to 20km away, … … Kantharalak has been one of the hardest-hit districts in the conflict. On Thursday, a BM-21 rocket struck a PTT petrol station in Ban Phue, killing eight civilians and injuring 13 others, most of them inside a 7-Eleven convenience store on the premises. ~ Malay Mail (Source)

The distance is 21.2 km to Ta Thav

The distance is 21.2 km to Ta Thav

The distance is 23.7 km to Preah Vihear temple.

The distance is 23.7 km to Preah Vihear temple.

The distance in this case is approximately 20.3 km. It’s important to note that deploying a BM-21 much closer to the border is highly impractical. In actual tactical scenarios, the launcher would likely be positioned further inland, which would only increase the total distance. This example simply illustrates that even when placed near the border, the distance already exceeds 20 km.

The distance in this case is approximately 20.3 km. It’s important to note that deploying a BM-21 much closer to the border is highly impractical. In actual tactical scenarios, the launcher would likely be positioned further inland, which would only increase the total distance. This example simply illustrates that even when placed near the border, the distance already exceeds 20 km.

Case 2. Why was there only a single rocket?

Let’s assume that the rocket could reach 7-Eleven.

BM-21 Grad could hold around 40 rockets per salvo, and it emptied the round in about 20 seconds. BM-21 has Circular Error Probable (CEP) around 200-300m for ~20km range, which means 50% of the rockets will hit the target within 200m radius, for the target at 20km away.