Introduction
The tenth month of the year has yet to end, but the number of aerial attacks by Myanmar’s military junta has already surpassed the number of such attacks recorded in 2024, which was the year with the highest number of such attacks since the coup.
The military junta, which claims countless lives of Myanmar people daily, employs various means in its aerial attack operations. The aerial vehicles used for these attacks must be dubbed as the aerial menace, or the ‘sky demons’. These sky demons roam day and night across the Myanmar’s skies. They include fighter jets, combat aircraft, helicopters, as well as drones, paramotors, and gyrocopters.
This week’s BNI-Myanmar Peace Monitor’s Bi-Weekly News Review examines the aerial menace or the ‘sky demons’ that the military junta relies upon, based on events and available data.
Data on the Junta’s Aerial Menace
From January to 21 October 2025, the number of aerial attack events across Myanmar reached 1,132, which is 67 more events than in 2024, the year with the highest number of such attacks since the military coup.
Notably, in its aerial attack campaign, the junta has not only used aircraft such as jets, combat planes, and helicopters, it has also widely employed drones, paramotors, and gyrocopters. According to BNI-Myanmar Peace Monitor data, up to 21 October 2025, there were 882 airstrike events, 152 drone attack events, 92 paramotor attack events, and 3 gyrocopter attack events. [1]
These aerial attack events took place in 150 townships across 13 states and regions, including Nay Pyi Taw, excluding Yangon Region. Sagaing Region saw the highest number of aerial attack events by the junta, affecting 31 townships. Regions like Arakan, Magway, Mandalay, and Kachin each also faced junta’s aerial attacks in 10 to 15 townships.
August 2025 recorded the highest number of civilian deaths and injuries from aerial attacks, with a total of 586 civilians killed or injured in that single month.
Events
Among the above-mentioned aerial attacks by the junta, there were up to 92 incidents of mass killing of 5 or more people caused by the junta’s sky demons: aircraft, drones, and paramotors.
On the night of 6 October 2025, in Bon To village, Ngaung Pin Thar village tract, at the border between Monywa and Chaung-U Townships, Sagaing Region, the junta carried out a targeted attack on a lighting festival on the full moon day of Thadingyut using two paramotors and dropping four bombs. The deadly attack claimed the lives of 24 civilians and wounded more than 40 others. [2] This lantern festival bombing was the one with the highest civilian casualties among over 90 bombing attacks with the use of paramotors.
The incident with the highest civilian casualties from the junta’s aerial attacks was the airstrike on Kyauk Ni Maw village in Ramree Township, on 8 January 2025. In the incident, 41 civilians were killed and 52 others were injured. [3]
In another incident on 17 August 2025, up to 32 people were killed when the junta carried out an airstrike on 16-Kone Ward of Mawchi, Bawlakhe Township, Karenni (Kayah) State, making it the incident with the second highest fatalities. [4]
There were also airstrikes with over 20 civilian deaths: the airstrike on Nawng Ping village in Kyaukme Township, Shan State ; the airstrike on Singu town, Mandalay Region; the airstrike on Let Pan Hla village Singu Township, Mandalay Region; the airstrike on Yae Htwet village in Thabeikkyin Township, Mandalay Region; the airstrike on Lin Ta Lu village in Sagaing Township, Sagaing Region; the airstrike on Oe Htein Kwin village in Tabayin Township; the airstrike on Nang Hkam village in Wuntho Township; and the airstrike near the Yan Chaung area in Maungdaw Township, Arakan State.
According to BNI-Myanmar Peace Monitor data, analyzing the 1,444 civilian deaths caused by the junta’s sky demons by incident reveals 264 incidents with 1 to 4 deaths, 57) incidents with 5 to 9 deaths, 24 incidents with 10 to 19 deaths, and 11 incidents with 20 or more deaths.
Based on BNI-Myanmar Peace Monitor data, an analysis of the 1,444 civilian deaths caused by the junta’s sky demons shows the following breakdown by incident: 264 incidents with 1 to 4 deaths, 57 incidents with 5 to 9 deaths, 24 incidents with 10 to 19 deaths, and 11 incidents with 20 or more deaths. [5]
Analysis
BNI-Myanmar Peace Monitor’s data shows that as the conflict continues to rage between the military junta and resistance forces across the country, the aerial attacks by the junta’s heavily-relied-upon sky demons are seen daily, regardless of time and place.
Due to this aerial menace, the number of civilian deaths and injuries is rapidly increasing.
This chart clearly highlights the junta’s aerial attacks. The junta is targeting civilian populations across the country, regardless of whether fighting is taking place or not.
Specifically, in areas lost to resistance forces, the junta is conducting indiscriminate aerial attacks as part of its scorched-earth tactics, destroying towns and villages with maximum force.
Comparing the conflict events and the junta’s aerial attacks in 2025 by month, the number of aerial attacks is greater than the number of ground clash events. This raises the question of whether the junta is attempting to conclude its unsuccessful coup by launching its aerial menace to bomb resistance forces and the civilian populations in their controlled areas.
The junta’s sky demons, which daily claim and destroy the lives of countless people in Myanmar, roams the entire sky day and night, threatening the public. For over four years, the entire Myanmar people have been forced to watch this great threat from the sky demons with dread and resentment.
Even foreign governments and international organizations, including the United Nations which celebrates its 80th anniversary on 24 October this year and ASEAN, are watching powerlessly and fearfully, unable to curb the junta’s sky demons that daily threaten the people of Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the junta-led Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is even working to expand the use of its aerial menace, adding gyrocopters and spy ballons to the existing fighters jets, combat planes, helicopters, drones, and paramotors. It must also be noted that China and Russia continue to support and facilitate the proliferation of the military junta’s sky demons through various means, leaving the international community unable to intervene effectively.
[1] BNI-Myanmar Peace Monitor Dataset (1 Jan 2020 – 21 Oct 2025)
[2] Chaung-U’s Bon To village airstrike death toll rises to 24, Myanmar Now, 2025
[3] Airstrike on Kyauk Ni Maw village in Ramree Township kills 41, injures 52 , burns 500 homes, Narinjara, 8 Jan 2025
[4] Mawchi airstrike kills 32 civilians, with some missing, People’s Spring, 19 Aug 2025
[5] BNI-Myanmar Peace Monitor Dataset (1 Jan 2020 – 21 Oct 2025)