A military coup occurred in Cambodia in 1970 which brought about the removal of the monarch and head of state, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, after a vote in the National Assembly on 18 March, 1970. Emergency powers were subsequently invoked by the Prime Minister Lon Nol, who became effective head of state. The coup led ultimately to the proclamation of the Khmer Republic later that year, and was a turning point in the Cambodian Civil War. The pilots in the photo are loyal to Lon Nol.