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List of equipment of the Cypriot National Guard

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Emblem of the National Guard of Cyprus.

The Cypriot National Guard is a combined arms force and represents the organised air, land and sea capabilities of the Republic of Cyprus. Equipment is mostly imported from other countries, since the country has 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. As of 2023, the Republic of Cyprus will no longer be under US Defence sanctions opening the National Guard to the sale of US defence products.[1]

Infantry Equipment

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

Camouflages

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Model Origin Type Photo Details
Camoflages
Multicam  United States Camouflage pattern
Woodland Digital  United States Camouflage pattern
Used by LOK (Retired in 2017)
UCP  United States Camouflage pattern
(Retired at an unknown date)
Cypriot Sandstone  Cyprus Camouflage pattern
Greek Lizard  Greece Camouflage pattern
Used by ELDYK

Infantry weapons

[edit]
Model Origin Cartridge Photo Notes
Handguns
HK USP  Germany 9x19mm Parabellum
Standard Issue Sidearm.[2] [2]
FN Five-Seven  Belgium FN 5.7×28mm
250 used by Special Forces.[2]
Submachine guns
FN P90  Belgium FN 5.7×28mm
350 used by the Special Forces.[2]
Assault rifles
HK G3  West Germany
 Greece 		7.62×51mm NATO
Standard Issue Rifle. The versions operated by the National Guard are mainly the G3A3 and G3A4 (shown in the picture, the upper one is the G3A4 and the lower one is the G3A3).[3][4]
AK-74M  Russia 5.45×39mm
AK-74M version in use by the National Guard.[5]
Vz.58  Czechoslovakia 7.62×39mm
Used for a brief period of time by the Special Forces in 2016.[6][7]
Colt M16A2  United States 5.56×45mm NATO
Used by OYK.[2]
FN SCAR-L  Belgium 5.56×45mm NATO
Used by the Special Forces.[8][9]
FN SCAR-H (TPR Variant) 7.62×51mm NATO
IWI Tavor X95  Israel 5.56×45mm NATO
Used by the Special Forces.[10]
Sniper rifles
Accuracy International Arctic Warfare  United Kingdom .338 Lapua Magnum
Used by the Special Forces [11][12]
Accuracy International AX50  United Kingdom .50 BMG
Used by the Special Forces [11][12]
Machine guns
MG 3  West Germany
 Greece		 7.62×51mm NATO
[2][4]
HK21  Germany 7.62×51mm NATO
A variation of the HK G3 with a heavier barrel.[2][4]
FN MAG  Belgium 7.62×51mm NATO
[2]
IWI Negev  Israel 5.56×45mm NATO
Used by mechanised infantry, paratroopers and the Special Forces.[13][9]
7.62×51mm NATO
M2 Browning  United States .50 BMG
[14]
Grenade launchers
STK 40 AGL  Singapore 40 mm grenade
[2][15][16]
Anti-tank weapons
M72 LAW  United States Rocket-propelled grenade 66mm
[17]
RPG-7V  Russia Rocket-propelled grenade 85mm
1,000+ launchers.[18]
M40A1  United States Recoilless rifle 105mm
144 M40A1s as of 2016.[19][17]
RAC 112 APILAS  France Recoilless anti-tank weapon 112mm
1,000+ launchers.[17]
9M117 Bastion  Russia Anti-tank guided missile 100mm
Line-of-sight, beam-riding missile (LOSBR) fired from the BMP-3 IFV, 700 missiles delivered in 1996.[20]
9M117 Refleks  Russia Anti-tank guided missile 125mm
Fired from the 125mm main gun of the T80U and T80UK main battle tanks of the National Guard.[21]
MILAN III  France Anti-tank guided missile 115mm
45 launchers, 1,000+ missiles.[22][23]
SPIKE LR2  Israel
 Germany 		Anti-tank guided missile 130mm
To be fitted on LAPV Enok[24]

Land Forces

[edit]

Armored vehicles

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Model Origin Photo Variant Quantity Notes
Main battle tanks (MBTs)
T-80  Russia
Cypriot T80U
Cypriot T80U
 T-80U 54 A total of 82 MBTs acquired between 1996 and 2011.[25]
T-80UK 28
AMX-30  France
AMX-30B2 52 Another 61 AMX-30s have been withdrawn from active service and are waiting to be scrapped; some will be kept for museums. May be replaced by Israeli Merkava.[17][26][27][28]
Infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs)
BMP-3  Russia
BMP-3 (Basic Version) 43 Deal worth $68 million, and delivered in 1995–1996.[23]
Armored reconnaissance vehicles
EE-9 Cascavel  Brazil
Cascavel Mk IV/V 126 Entered service from 1984 to 1988. It has a top speed of 80 km/h off-road and 110 km/h on-road. It is armed with a 90 mm Belgian Cockerill Mk 3 gun, improved day and night optics with laser rangefinder, and a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft MG.[23]
EE-3 Jararaca  Brazil
EE-3 Tank destroyer 36 Entered service from 1984 to 1985, 24 are armed with a MILAN ATGM system. The vehicle has a 3-man crew with a top speed of 100 km/h and is armed with 1 x 20-mm Rh202 autocannon, and 1 x 12.7mm machine gun.[23]
Armoured personnel carriers (APCs)
ELVO Leonidas  Greece
Greek Leonidas-2 APC
Greek Leonidas-2 APC
 Leonidas-2 197 Based on the Austrian Saurer 4K 4FA.[23]
VAB  France
VAB-PC 4 A total of 147 vehicles are operated by the National Guard. The VAB VCAC variant is equipped with the Euromissile Mephisto anti-tank missile system. (See infantry weapons above.)[23][29]
VAB-VTT 98
VAB VCI 17
VAB VCAC 18
EE-11 Urutu  Brazil
Unknown 10 Status uncertain.[23]
Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs)
BOV M16 Miloš  Serbia
Artillery reconnaissance – command vehicle 8 Part of a $50 mil. deal that included Nora B-52. Delivered in 2019. The 8 BOV M16 are used as artillery reconnaissance and battery command vehicles for the 24 Nora B-52 self-propelled howitzers of the National Guard.[30][31]
Armored recovery vehicles (ARVs)
BREM-80  Russia
BREM-80U 8 Based on the T-80 chassis.[32]
AMX-30  France
AMX-30D 2 [23]
Anti-Tank Guided Missile Vehicle
Euromissile Mephisto  France
18 18 systems. Mounted on the 18 VAB VCAC APCs of the National Guard with four ready-to-fire HOT-2 anti-tank missiles and eight more in reserve, 500 missiles.[17][23]
LAPV Enok  Germany
ENOK 4.8 AB 1 + 59 on order Armed with Spike LR2 missile.[33]
Land Rover Wolf W/ MILAN  France /  United Kingdom
? Multiple systems of MILAN mounted on Land Rover Defender Wolfs. Significant Numbers, exact numbers unknown. 115 mm, Tandem shaped charge with 2 km max range.

Artillery

[edit]
Model Origin Type Photo Number Notes
Rocket artillery
M-63 Plamen  Yugoslavia 128mm towed multiple rocket launcher
24 [23][17]
M-77 Oganj  Yugoslavia 128mm self-propelled multiple rocket launcher
8 Status uncertain.[23]
BM-21 Grad  Russia 122mm self-propelled multiple rocket launcher
4 Probably second hand.[23]
Self-propelled artillery
Nora B-52  Serbia 155mm self-propelled howitzer
24 First batch received in 2019.[34]
Zuzana  Slovakia 155mm self-propelled howitzer
12 Ordered in 2001 and delivered in 2007 via Greece.[23]
Mk F3 155mm  France 155mm self-propelled howitzer
12 Delivered in 1991.[23]
M107  United States 175mm self-propelled howitzer
12 [35][17]
M110A2  United States 203mm self-propelled howitzer
8 [35][17]
Tatrapan  Slovakia Artillery command vehicle
3 [35][17]
AMX-VCI  France Artillery command vehicle Unknown
Towed artillery
M-56  Yugoslavia 105mm towed howitzer
72 Delivered in 1986.[35][23]
M1944 BS-3  Soviet Union 100mm towed gun
20 Most if not all have been transferred to Ukraine.
M-114  United States 155mm towed howitzer
12 [35][17]
TRF1  France 155 mm towed howitzer
French 155 mm TRF1 Towed Artillery
French 155 mm TRF1 Towed Artillery
 12 Delivered in 1991.[35][23]
Mortars
E44-E Mortar  Greece 81 mm mortar
180 [17]
M29 Mortar  United States 81 mm mortar
Unknown In use as of 2000.[36]
M30 Mortar  United States 106.7 mm mortar
26 To be fully retired.[37]
MO-120-RT  France 120 mm mortar
120 mm Mortar
120 mm Mortar
 116 Delivered in 1990-1991. 12 equipped on mortar carriers.[23][17]

Airforce

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Main article: Cyprus Air Command

Air defense

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Name Origin Type Photo In service Notes
Surface-to-air missiles
TOR M-1  Soviet Union
 Russia 		Surface to air missile system
6 Delivered by Greece in replacement for the S-300.[23][38]
Buk M1-2  Soviet Union
 Russia 		Surface to air missile system
8 Total number of systems is unknown. Could be 2 batteries with 4 systems each.[38][39][40][41]
Aspide  United States
 Italy 		Surface to air missile system
24 With 12 Skyguard radars.[23][17]
Mistral  France Man-portable air defense system
Cypriot SHORAD
Cypriot SHORAD
 30 18 Mistral MANPADS and 12x2 Mistral Atlas vehicle based systems. More than 300 missiles. More missile on order as of June 2023.[42][17][23][35]
9K32 Strela-2  Soviet Union
 Russia 		Man-portable air defense system
100 Operational Numbers may be less[43]
9S737M Ranzhir-M  Russia Mobile command center
Unknown Mobile Command Centre for the coordination of the TOR air defense network system [44]
Anti aircraft artillery
GDF-005   Switzerland Anti-aircraft gun
24 2x35mm anti-aircraft gun.[17][23]
Zastava M-55  Yugoslavia Anti-aircraft gun
50 3x20mm anti-aircraft gun.[17]

Aircraft

[edit]
Main article: Cyprus Air Command § Aircraft
[edit]
Main article: Cyprus Navy

Surface defense

[edit]
Name Origin Type Photo In service Notes
Surface-to-surface missiles
Exocet  France Mobile surface-to-surface missile
3 batteries. Block 3+ modernization part of $250 mil. bought along side Mistral 3

Surface Ships

[edit]
Class Origin Vessel Type Photo Name In Service Length Notes
Surface Fleet
Al Mumbrukah  United Kingdom Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV)
"Alasia" 1 62m Gift from the Sultan of Oman, refitted for military purposes in 2017.[45][46][47]
Saar 62  Israel Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) "Andreas Ioannides" 1 62m Part of deal for 2 ships of same class from 2017, one of the newest ships of the NG.[48][47]
Rodman 55  Spain Fast Assault boat "Agathos" "Panagos" 2 17m Acquired in 2002, Used by Special Forces.[47]
RIB 42' SF  Italy Fast Assault boat "Nireas 1" "Poseidonas 1 " 2 13m Used by Special Forces actively. [47]
FPB C382  Italy Fast Patrol Boat "Eleftherios Tsomakis" "Nikolas Georgiou" 2 27m [47]
Esterel  France Fast Patrol Boat "Salamis" 1 32m Oldest active ship in the National Guard naval forces - Heavily upgraded.[47]
FPB  Finland Multitask Patrol Boat "Ammochostos" 1 26m Donated from the ministry of agriculture. [47][49]

Future Procurements

[edit]

In the last decade the Cypriot National Guard has pushed for a complete modernization of its capabilities and equipment. In light of the recent lifting of the US imposed embargo of the '80s in 2022 Cyprus has started seek interest in multiple western weapon systems. Cyprus also being a part of the European Union means it is part of defensive programs involving other European Nations.[50]

Name Origin Type Photo Number Expected Arrival Notes
Exocet MM40 Block 3  France Mobile surface-to-surface missile
Upgrade Package N/A The Exocet deal of the came along side with the orders of new Mistral III MANPAD systems from France in 2021, the deal cost $260 mil.[51][52]
Mistral III  France SHORAD / MANPADs Unknown N/A The Mistral deal of the came along side with the orders of new Exocet block 3 systems from France.[52]
Iron Dome  Israel Air defense System Unknown N/A Not much is known on the deal, claims on agreement came to light in 2022[citation needed]
Saar 62  Israel Offshore Patrol Vessel 1 N/A Original deal underlined that 2 Saar 62s would enter service, only one did until now in 2017, order still hasn't been canceled.[53]
Airbus H145  France /  Germany Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter 6 + 6 First batch 2024 (6) Ordered in 2021
Akeron MP  France Fire-and-forget anti-tank Missile Unknown Unknown Deal expected soon along with Sherpa Light.[54]
MARSEUS  France
 Belgium
 Sweden
 Cyprus 		Beyond Line of sight missile Unknown Unknown PESCO project between multiple European Nations coordinated by France to develop a new Beyond line of Sight missile system, Testing of the system was conducted in Cyprus in the summer of 2022. The development program includes local Cypriot companies including SignalGeneriX and famous defense companies such as MBDA and THALES.[55][56]
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See also

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References

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  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Cyprus Infantry Arms List (Current and Former Types)". www.militaryfactory.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  3. ^ "403 unauthorized". www.philenews.com. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Ιερείς σε στρατιωτική άσκηση: Έριξαν βολές και προκάλεσαν αντιδράσεις (ΒΙΝΤΕΟ)". www.alphanews.live (in Greek). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  5. ^ Jenzen-Jones, N.R. (September 2012). "The 100-Series Kalashnikovs: A Primer". Small Arms Review. Vol. 16 no. 3. Archived from the original on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  6. ^ Redefined, Defence (8 August 2021). "TAVOR | Το Βασικό Τυφέκιο των Μονάδων Καταδρομών της Εθνικής Φρουράς - Ανάλυση". DEFENCE ReDEFiNED (in Greek). Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Ceska Zbrojovka vz. 58". www.militaryfactory.com. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Cyprus National Guard to get X95s, AI Rifles, SF to receive SCARs". The Firearm Blog. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  9. ^ a b DefenceReview.gr: Οδοιπορικό στην Εθνική Φρουρά - Αφιέρωμα στη Διοίκηση Καταδρομών, retrieved 8 January 2023
  10. ^ "Cypriot paratroopers use Israeli weapons". Israel Defense. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  11. ^ a b "DefenceReview.gr: Οδοιπορικό στην Εθνική Φρουρά - Αφιέρωμα στη Διοίκηση Καταδρομών". Youtube. Defence Review gr. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  12. ^ a b Vlassis, Savvas (11 November 2018). "ΔΥΝΑΜΙΚΗ ΓΡΟΘΙΑ 2018 και η πραγματικη αδυναμία των Mi-35P". Δούρειος Ίππος. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
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  22. ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (2020). "Chapter Four: Europe". The Military Balance. 120 (1): 95. doi:10.1080/04597222.2020.1707964. S2CID 219623996.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Trade Registers".
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  34. ^ https://www.janes.com/defence-equipment-intelligence/cyprus-parades-new-serbian-made-artillery-and-armoured-vehicles/ .
  35. ^ a b c d e f g Polignosi. "Εθνική Φρουρά". www.polignosi.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  36. ^ Gander, Terry J. (22 November 2000). "National inventories, Cyprus". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2001–2002. p. 1509.
  37. ^ The Military Balance 2016, p. 85.
  38. ^ a b "Εθνική Φρουρά - Αεροπορία". www.army.gov.cy. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  39. ^ "The Cypriot Missile Crisis". geimint.blogspot.co.uk. May 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  40. ^ Νικολοβγένης, Θεόδωρος (5 June 2021). "Συγκριτικό: Εθνική Φρουρά εναντίον Κατοχικού Στρατού (Μέρος Α')". Defence Review (in Greek). Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  41. ^ "Η Κύπρος παραχωρεί στην Ουκρανία τα ρωσικής κατασκευής οπλικά συστήματα της Εθνοφρουράς! – Δηλώσεις του κυβερνητικού εκπροσώπου". Pronews.gr (in Greek). 13 October 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  42. ^ Irish, John (20 June 2023). "Five European states sign letter of intent to buy Mistral air defence systems". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  43. ^ "Cypriot Armed Forces - Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG) Land Operations Group - Maritime Wing - Air Wing - European Defence Inforamtion". www.armedforces.co.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  44. ^ Chad (1 October 2011). "Cyprus National Day Military Parade". Military In the Middle East. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  45. ^ "ALASIA patrol vessel (1971/2017)". www.navypedia.org. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  46. ^ "Alasia (A620) Has Returned to Active Service for Southern Cyprus". DefenceHub | Global Military & Security Forum. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
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  48. ^ News Desk (3 January 2018). "New OPV Joins the Cypriot Navy - Defense Update:". Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  49. ^ "Patrol boats". Työvene. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  50. ^ Saballa, Joe (26 June 2023). "Cyprus to Replace Russian Weapons With Modern, Western Equipment". The Defense Post. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  51. ^ "Ε.Φ: Έρχονται οι Exocet Block 3, με υπογραφή Γαλλίας | Offsite". www.offsite.com.cy. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  52. ^ a b "Cyprus to purchase arms worth 240 million euros from France | eKathimerini.com". www.ekathimerini.com. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
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  54. ^ "Cyprus to buy Sherpa armoured vehicles and Akeron missiles from France". in-cyprus.philenews.com. Philenews. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
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