So Satto

After graduating from the Royal Khmer Air School in 1954, So Satto entered the École de l'air at Salon-de-Provence, France (Class of 1955).^[1]. He obtained his transport pilot wings in 1959 at Avord Air Base, France, and completed the full French Air Force pilot training curriculum by 1961^[2].

Returning to Cambodia, he served successively as a transport pilot, commander of the Transport Group, commander of a tactical air group, and air base commander. In 1969, he was appointed Deputy Commander of Aviation^[3].

In 1965, Prince Norodom Sihanouk severed diplomatic relations with the United States and moved closer to the People’s Republic of China. This realignment of Cambodia’s foreign policy toward communist countries, initiated in 1964, along with the establishment of Viet Cong sanctuaries along the Ho Chi Minh trail, contributed to Prince Norodom Sihanouk’s overthrow by the National Assembly in March 1970^[4]. Following these events, So Satto was appointed Chief of Staff of Aviation, which at the time remained subordinated to the Cambodian Army^[5].

Following Viet Cong offensives against the new government, So Satto mobilized all available aircrew, including pilots from the national airline, established a second air base, and implemented accelerated training programs across all areas of aviation. Despite operating a heterogeneous fleet, the aviation branch flew as many sorties in a single week as it had during the previous sixteen years^[6][7]. Due to personnel shortages, transport aircraft sometimes took off with only a single pilot^[8].

In 1971, the main air base at Pochentong, was attacked by Viet Cong commandos, resulting in the destruction of approximately two-thirds of the aircraft. With support from the United States, the fleet was re-equipped^[9].

The attack was ultimately described by U.S. officials as “a blessing,” as aircraft previously supplied by Eastern Bloc countries had become unusable due to a lack of spare parts^[10].

The United States remained reluctant to expand a Cambodian air force considered costly and strategically unnecessary^[11]. Nevertheless, in June 1971, So Satto succeeded in obtaining institutional independence from the Army. The aviation branch was officially reorganized as the Khmer Air Force (Armée de l’Air Khmère, KAF)^[12].

He established partnerships with science universities to recruit doctors and engineers^[13], opened three additional air bases, and sought backing from additional foreign nations, including discreetly bringing in Taiwanese flight instructors to relieve the Khmer training staff.

In March 1973, a pilot with ties to the royal family bombed the Presidential Palace in Phnom Penh. Following this incident, So Satto resigned his command and was appointed Defense Attaché at the Cambodian Embassy in Washington, D.C.^[14]

After the Fall of Phnom Penh to the Khmer Rouge in April 1975, he requested political asylum in France, where he lived until his death in November 2010.

• Carnet de vol d'un pilote khmer, 1954-1975, Paris, 2024. ISBN 978-2-9590065-1-7