List of military equipment of Cyprus

The Cyprus National Guard is a combined arms force and represents the organised air, land and sea capabilities of the Republic of Cyprus. Equipment has in the past, and usually still is, imported from other countries, since the country has only very limited heavy industrial and commercial industrial capacity due to its small population and land mass (excluding Northern Cyprus). The role of maintaining, upgrading and modifying military equipment is primarily the task of the National Guard Technical Corps, though more complex activities rely upon the availability of civil contracts.

FN P90 in the hands of Cypriot National Guard during a parade in Larnaca

Operational equipment

This list contains equipment which is in use by the Cypriot National Guard.

Infantry Weapons Model Origin Type Cartridge Photo Notes Pistols FN Five-Seven  Belgium Semi-automatic pistol 5.7×28mm Used only by Special Forces Submachine guns FN P90  Belgium Submachine gun 5.7×28mm Used only by Special Forces MP5  Germany/ Greece Submachine gun 9×19mm NATO Used only by Special Forces. Made under licence by EAS Assault, battle rifles HK G3  Germany/ Greece Battle rifle 7.62x51mm NATO Standard issue infantry rifle. Made under license by EAS Tavor X95  Israel Assault rifle 5.56×45mm NATO Used by LOK and OYK. Will replace ageing HK G3 as a standard issue infantry rifle FN SCAR-L  Belgium Assault rifle 5.56×45mm NATO Used only by Special Forces Division (TEO) AK-74M  Soviet Union Assault rifle 5.45×39mm Used by Armoured Forces, LOK and OYK Zastava M77 B1  Serbia Battle rifle 7.62×51mm NATO In reserve Vz.58  Czechoslovakia Assault rifle 7.62×39mm Used by LOK AK-47  Soviet Union Assault rifle 7.62×39mm Sniper rifles Accuracy International AW50  United Kingdom Sniper rifle .50 BMG AX-50 version as of 2017 G3A3ZF  Germany / Greece Designated Marksman Rifle 7.62x51mm NATO G3 variant with a 4x24 scope. Made under license by EAS Machine guns IWI Negev  Israel light machine gun 7.62×51mm Used by special forces MG3  Germany/ Greece General purpose machine gun 7.62×51mm NATO Large number in service. Made under license by EAS HK11  Germany/ Greece General purpose machine gun 7.62×51mm NATO HK11A1 variant. Made under license by EAS M2 Browning  United States Heavy machine gun .50 BMG Large number in service. Also used as an anti-aircraft artillery gun Anti-tank weapons RPG-7V1  Soviet Union/ Russia Rocket-propelled grenade 40mm Standard infantry AT weapon. 9M133 Kornet  Russia Anti-tank guided missile 152mm 26 systems. [1] MILAN  France Anti-tank guided missile 115mm 45 launchers, 250 MILAN-2 and 784 MILAN-3 HOT  France Anti-tank guided missile 150mm 500 HOT-2 for SA-342L helicopters and VAB-VCAC tank destroyers. APILAS  France Portable one-shot recoilless anti-tank weapon 112mm ~1000 M72 LAW  United States Portable one-shot unguided anti-tank weapon 66mm M40A1  United States Recoilless rifle 105mm 144 in service Armored Vehicles Model Origin Type Number Photo Notes Main battle tanks T-80  Russia Main battle tank 82 54 T-80U / 28 T-80UK [2][3] AMX-30B2  France Main battle tank 52 Armored personnel carriers BMP-3  Russia Infantry fighting vehicle 43 BOV M16 Miloš  Serbia MRAP combat vehicle 8 Delivered in 2019.[4] EE-9 Cascavel  Brazil Infantry fighting vehicle 89 126 ordered in 1982 and received in 1984-1988. ELVO Leonidas-2  Greece Armored personnel carrier 197 VAB  France VAB-VCI: IFV VAB-VTT: APC VAB-VCAC: ATGM vehicle 147 27 VAB-VCI, 102 VAB-VTT (Export version of the VCI T.20/13), 18 VAB-VCAC (Equipped with the Euromissile UTM800 turret) EE-3 Jararaca  Brazil Tank destroyer 15 Developed for Cyprus; carries a pintle-mounted, single-tube launcher for MILAN ATGM. 36 ordered in 1982 and received in 1984-1985. EE-11 Urutu  Brazil Armored personnel carrier 10 Received in 1984. Status uncertain. AMX-VCI  France Armored personnel carrier 12 VTT/VCA and command post versions in service; for use with AMX Mk-F3 155mm SP guns Armored recovery vehicles BREM-80U  Russia Armored recovery vehicle 8 First batch of 4 arrived in 1997, second batch in 2012 Artillery Model Origin Type Number Photo Notes Self-propelled artillery Nora B-52  Serbia 155 mm self-propelled howitzer 24 24 on order (will equip 4 artillery batteries) SpGH Zuzana  Slovakia 155 mm self-propelled howitzer 12 [5] MKF3  France 155 mm self-propelled howitzer 12 [6] BM-21 Grad  Soviet Union 122mm self-propelled multiple rocket launcher 4 4 pieces are known to be active, although there are rumours that 18 artillery pieces were procured from Russia in 2005. M-77 Oganj  Yugoslavia 128mm self-propelled multiple rocket launcher 8 Status uncertain. [7] Towed artillery TRF1  France 155 mm towed howitzer 12 [8] M-56  Yugoslavia 105 mm towed howitzer 72 [9] M1944  Soviet Union 100 mm field and anti-tank gun 20 [10] M-63 Plamen  Yugoslavia 128 mm towed multiple rocket launcher 18 Reportedly acquired 24 towed pieces in the early 1980s from former Yugoslavia. Logistics Model Origin Type In service Photo Notes ELBO G-Wagen  Greece Light Utility Vehicle ELBO "Onesilos"  Greece Light Utility Vehicle ELBO Steyr  Greece Truck 6×6 truck ACMAT  France Truck Used as tow trucks for the MO-120 RT-61 120mm mortars. Air Defense Model Origin Type In service Photo Notes Anti-aircraft artillery Oerlikon GDF   Switzerland Anti-aircraft 30 towed 35mm anti-aircraft gun. Reportedly 30 in service. M55A4  Serbia Anti-aircraft 36 towed 20mm anti-aircraft gun. Numerous examples in service. Anti-aircraft missile 9K37 Buk  Russia mobile SAM system 9K37M1-2 Buk M1-2. 3 battalions deployed. A standard Buk battalion consists of a command vehicle, target acquisition radar (TAR) vehicle, six transporter erector launcher and radar (TELAR) vehicles and three transporter erector launcher (TEL) vehicles. 9S470M1-2 Snow Drift - command post vehicle 9S18M1-1 - target acquisition radar 9A39M1 - 2 × transport erector launcher (TEL) Aspide  Italy SAM system 24 6 batteries/130 missiles. Utilized with the Skyguard system using Oerlikon GDF 35mm. [11] SA-15  Russia mobile SAM system 6 9K331 Tor M1. /150 missiles. [12] Mistral  France MANPADS 30 304 missiles 18 Mistral MANPADS 12 Mistral ATLAS (2-missile version mounted on Pinzgauer utility vehicles) Aircraft Model Origin Type In service Photo Notes Transport aircraft BN-2T Maritime Defender  United Kingdom Utility aircraft 1 Helicopters Bell-206 Long Ranger  United States Utility helicopter 2 Reportedly three acquired from Belgian source in the 1980s. One lost in crash in 2003. Mil Mi-35PN Hind-F  Russia Attack helicopter 11 12 aircraft acquired in Mi-35P variant in 2001-2003.[13] Aerospatiale SA-342L Gazelle  France Scout/Patrol helicopter 4 A total of six aircraft acquired, but only four made operational. Agusta-Westland AW139  United Kingdom/ Italy SAR/Utility helicopter 3 Three aircraft ordered in 2008. Trainer aircraft Pilatus PC-9   Switzerland Training aircraft 1 Two examples acquired from Sweden. One crashed in 2005, other grounded indefinitely. UAVs IAI Searcher  Israel Reconnaissance UAV 2 Navy Vessels Class Origin Vessel Type Length Name Pennant Photo Notes Al Mubrukah  United Kingdom Patrol ship 62m Alasia A620 Docked due to lack of spare parts. OPV-62  Israel Offshore Patrol Vessel 62m Commodore Andreas Ioannides P61 A second one was ordered by the Cypriot MoD. FPB 30M  Italy Fast Patrol Boat 27m Lieutenant Eleftherios Tsomakis P03 C.382, 4 were received from Cantierre Navale Vittoria of Italy in 2004-2006, 2 for the Navy and 2 for the Marine Police. FPB 30M  Italy Fast Patrol Boat 27m Lieutenant commander Nikolas Georgiou P04 C.382, 4 were received from Cantierre Navale Vittoria of Italy in 2004-2006, 2 for the Navy and 2 for the Marine Police. FPB 26M  Finland Fast Patrol Boat 25m Ammochostos P05 Acquired from the Ministry of Agriculture. Rodman 55  Spain Fast Patrol Boat Agathos Used by the Navy's Special Forces (OYK). Acquired from Spain in 2002. Rodman 55  Spain Fast Patrol Boat Panagos Used by the Navy's Special Forces (OYK). Acquired from Spain in 2002. Rotork  Cyprus Landing Craft Personnel ~3 Domestically produced.[14] Nautimar HD-7  Cyprus Rigid-Inflatable Boat Numerous examples in service. [15] Barracuda  Cyprus Rigid-Inflatable Boat [16] Mostro  Cyprus Rigid-Inflatable Boat [17] Non-operational equipment Small arms Thompson Lee–Enfield Mk-IV M1 Garand M1 Carbine FN FAL Sten Sterling Bren Main Battle Tanks M47 Patton [18] - 1tank T-34/85[19] - 32 tanks Artillery QF-6 M116 QF-25 QF-106 AA 106mm M114A1 M107A1 M110A2 Aircraft Agusta-Bell AB-47J Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 Dornier Do-27Q Beechcraft C45 Expeditor Piper PA-22 Colt T-6A Harvard Air-defense systems S-300PMU-1 Gargoyle [20] M45 Quadmount Bofors 40mm gun Watercraft P-4 class MTB [21] Type 108 class MTB [22] R-151 class GMM [23] R-218 class GMM [24] Esterel class FPB [25] Plascoa class PB [26] Astrapi V class SB [27] Anti-tank rockets and missiles Shmel AT-1 M20A1 Super Bazooka 85mm B-10 82 mm Recoilless M18A1 57 mm Recoilless Fighting vehicles BTR-152V1 - 32 APC Marmon Herrington Mk-IVF Daimler Dingo M113 Valentine KMC Commer Carrier Miscellaneous KMC 6x6 truck ZIL-157 GS truck GAZ-69 Bedford TK truck Land Rover Series II 109 Notes Reported to be 26 systems on order at a cost of $28 million US dollars. Greek-language newspaper "The Citizen" 13 November 2008 27 included in batch of 41 tanks acquired in 1998. Further batch of 41 (including T-80Us) ordered in 2008. Cyprus Mail: Is this military spending necessary? Wednesday, February 22, 2006 14 included in batch of 41 tanks acquired in 1998. Further batch of 41 (including T-80UKs) ordered in 2008. Cyprus Mail: Is this military spending necessary? Wednesday, February 22, 2006 https://iskra.gr/%CF%83%CE%AD%CF%81%CE%B2%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%B1-%CE%B1%CF%85%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BA%CE%B9%CE%BD%CE%BF%CF%8D%CE%BC%CE%B5%CE%BD%CE%B1-%CF%80%CF%85%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%B2%CF%8C%CE%BB%CE%B1-nora-b-52-%CF%80%CE%B1%CF%81/ 12 self-propelled pieces acquired from Slovakia, via Greece, in the early 2000s. Reportedly transferred as partial payment from Greece for S-300s. 12 self-propelled artillery pieces known to be in service. Acquired from France. SIPRI Arms Transfers Database. 12 pieces acquired from France Reportedly as many as 72 pieces in service. Acquired from Greece. In service since at least 1972. Possibly 20 pieces survived the 1974 conflict and have remained in service since.Acquired from Russia. Reportedly 24 systems procured form Italy in two successive batches. 6 self-propelled systems procured from Greece, 6 more on order at a cost of $60 million US dollars. Greek-language newspaper "The Citizen" 13 November 2008 One aircraft lost in accident. Remaining eleven upgraded to Mi-35PN standard in 2008. Cyprus Mail: Is this military spending necessary?, Wednesday, February 22, 2006 Approx. three in service. Domestically produced assault water craft. Domestically produced water craft. Domestically produced water craft. One vehicle captured intact from the Turkish Army during the 1974 invasion. The vehicle was reported to be in service as late as 1993. A total of 35 vehicles were acquired from a USSR in 1964-65. A number (probably 11-13) were destroyed or captured during the war. The remaining handful of T-34's were withdrawn from service in 1985. Two battalion systems acquired, but transferred to Greece due to international political considerations. Cyprus Mail: Cyprus hands S300s to Greece in arms swap, By Jean Christou, Wednesday, December 19, 2007 Six purchased in 1964-65. All lost in 1974 Three purchased in 1970-71. All lost in 1974 Two purchased in 1964. one lost in 1964, another - 1974 Stricken in 1970-71 Embargoed, purchased by Hellenic Navy in 1975. Two vessels purchased in France in 1981-83. One stricken in 1991, another in 2004-2006 Domestically produced Fletcher Malibu class speed boats. Six were produced in 1986. In 2006-2007 replaced by RIB boats. References See also Cypriot National Guard Cyprus Air Forces Armoured vehicles of the Cypriot National Guard Turkish invasion of Cyprus Military operations during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus