The junta has been carrying out paramotor training flights from its Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 309 base in Katha Town, Sagaing Region, since the second week of March 2025.
The LIB 309 base is five miles west of Katha Town.
A resident of Katha town said: “The paramotors usually fly east of the Ayeyarwady River, towards Kyaukhtonegyi Sub-township [in Katha Township] and [then to] villages north of Katha Township, before returning to the LIB 309 base.
The paramotors being used by the junta consist of a collapsible wing that looks much like a parachute but fills with air when moving forward, making the wing rigid and providing lift. The pilot is suspended below the wing on lines and has a motorised propellor their back which allows them to steer the paramotor in any direction, including up and down.
The junta has started using paramotors by flying them over targets and getting the pilots to drop bombs by hand onto the target, which is not a very accurate way of dropping bombs. Their use has been recorded in areas that include Arakan (Rakhine) State, Sagaing, Mandalay and Ayeyarwady regions. They have caused casualties amongst both resistance fighters and civilians.
According to military analysts people can quickly be trained to fly paramotors.
The junta has been increasing its defences in Katha Town since early 2025 by doing things such as strengthening security at the town police station, government offices, and Katha Prison, constructing new bunkers and digging more trenches. A resistance fighter from Katha Town suggested that this might be because the junta is anticipating an attack on Katha Town.
He said: “Katha [Town] is surrounded by resistance forces to the north, south, and east, across the Ayeyarwady River, while resistance forces are deployed in the Naba and Indaw towns [both in Indaw Township] to the west. It’s highly likely that the junta is ramping up defensive measures in anticipation of an attack at any time.”
Katha Town occupies a strategic position on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River.
