Modern equipment of the Bulgarian land forces

This article is about weapons and equipment. For detailed information on history and deployment, see Bulgarian land forces.

This is a list of some of the equipment currently in use by the Bulgarian land forces.

Overview

A highly detailed description of the total military technology of the entire military including the land forces, air force, and navy, along with the active, reserve, and stored surplus equipment can be downloaded as a word document here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/heyrxhrnpqx06mz/Bulgarian+Military.docx, or as a pdf file here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/ba571l7jiid2tf8/Bulgarian+Military.pdf.

Small arms

AK-47 Type 3, produced in Bulgaria as AKK

A Bulgarian soldier with an ATGL-L / mod. RPG-7

Sidearms

• Makarov PM 9×18mm handgun (local production)
• SIG Pro SP 2022 9×19mm handgun (Military Police)
• Arcus 98DA 9×19mm handgun (Special Forces)

Assault rifles

• AK-47 7.62×39mm assault rifle (local production)
• AKMS 7.62×39mm assault rifle (local production)
• AR-M1 5.56×45mm assault rifle by Arsenal JSCo Standard issue infantry rifle.
• AR-M4SF 7.62×39mm/5.56×45mm carbine rifle by Arsenal JSCo (Special Forces)
• G36C 5.56×45mm assault rifle (Military Police)
• Steyr AUG 5.56×45mm assault rifle (in limited use with the SOBT only)

Submachine guns

• H&K MP5 9×19mm SMG (Special Forces, Military Police)
• Arsenal Shipka 9×18mm and 9×19mm SMG
• PM-63 9×18mm SMG (Special Forces)

Sniper rifles

• Dragunov 7.62×54mmR sniper rifle (local production)
• H&K PSG-1A1 7.62×51mm sniper rifle (Military Police)
• H&K MSG-90A1 7.62×51mm sniper rifle (Special Forces)
• Blaser R93 Tactical sniper rifle (Special Forces, SOBT)
• Barrett M82 12.7×99mm sniper rifle (SOBT)

Machine guns

• RPK 7.62×39mm and 5.45×39mm LMG (Special forces)
• PK machine gun 7.62×54mmR universal machine gun (local production)
• MG-M1 7.62×51mm universal machine gun (PK machine gun derivative by Arsenal JSCo)
• NSV 12.7×108mm heavy machine gun

AT weapons

• RPG-22 LAW (local production)
• RPG-7 LAW (local production)
• ATGL-L5 LAW (mod. RPG-7 by Arsenal JSCo)
• SPG-9DNM 73mm recoilless rifles (local production)

Mortars

• 60 mm M6-211
• 81 mm M8
• 200 82 mm M82
• 200 120 mm 2S12 Sani
• 120 mm 2S12 "Tundzha-Sani" self-propelled on MT-LB

Other small arms

• 18mm FN 303 less-lethal launcher (Military Police)
• GP-25 Kastyor underbarrel grenade launcher (local production)
• UBGL-M6 underbarrel grenade launcher by Arsenal JSCo
• UBGL-M7 underbarrel grenade launcher by Arsenal JSCo
• AGL-30 30×25mm grenade launchers, AGS-17 derivate by Arsenal JSCo
• 40×53mm Mk 19 grenade launchers

Anti-tank guided missiles

• AT-2 Swatter ATGMs
• AT-3 Sagger ATGMs (200)
• AT-4 Spigot ATGMs (222)
• AT-5 Spandrel ATGMs (300+)
• AT-6 Spiral ATGMs (500+)
• AT-7 Saxhorn ATGMs (50+)
• AT-10 Stabber ATGMs

Man-portable air defense systems

• SA-7 Grail MANPADS
• SA-14 Gremlin MANPADS
• SA-16 Gimlet MANPADS
• SA-18 Grouse MANPADS

Armoured vehicles

File:Bulgarian Special forces team in a mock raid at Saber Junction 2012.jpg

Bulgarian Special forces team in a mock raid.

Name	Origin	Type	Number	Photo	Notes
Armoured fighting vehicles
T-72M2	Bulgaria	Main battle tank	160		Indigenous tank design, based on the Russian T-72M1. 150-250 in reserve
BMP-23/30	Bulgaria	Infantry fighting vehicle	100 (114 built)		Locally designed Infantry Fighting Vehicle with a 23-mm automatic cannon, 9K111 Fagot anti-tank guided missile launchers with a total of six missiles and an SA-7 Grail MANPADS
BMP-1P	Soviet Union	Infantry fighting vehicle	75 (100 delivered)		Soviet tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle with a 73-mm smoothbore gun
BTR-60PB	Soviet Union	Armoured personnel carrier	100 (~100 in storage)	120px	~30 are modernized to the BTR-60PB-MD1 standards
MT-LB / MT-LBu	Soviet Union/Bulgaria	Armoured personnel carrier	100 (~600 in storage)		Light multi-purpose vehicle; mostly used as an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC)
BRDM-2	Soviet Union	Scout car	12		Armoured scout car
9P148 "Konkurs"	Soviet Union	Anti-tank vehicle	24		Anti-tank vehicle based around the BRDM-2 with five AT-5 Spandrel missiles
Plasan Sand Cat	Israel	Patrol vehicle	25	120px	4x4 armoured patrol vehicle used by the Military Police service
M1117	United States	Patrol vehicle	17		4x4 multi-purpose armoured patrol vehicle; 6 deployed in Afghanistan
HMMWV	United States	Multi-purpose vehicle	50		Deployed in Afghanistan
Mercedes-Benz G-Class	Germany	Armoured jeep	600		4x4 armoured G 280 CDi[ and non-armoured G 270 CDi jeep; partially armed with locally produced PKM machine guns

Artillery and air defense

File:Artillery of the Bulgarian army, 2006.jpg

200px

Name	Origin	Type	Number	Photo	Notes
Artillery and air defense
MT-12	Soviet Union	Anti-tank gun	200		100-mm anti-tank gun, now used mostly as conventional HE artillery
D-20	Soviet Union	Howitzer	150		152-mm towed howitzer; principal heavy artillery piece of the Bulgarian Army
2S1 Gvozdika	Soviet Union	Self-propelled howitzer	150	120px	122-mm self-propelled howitzer; produced locally as Karamfil; ~500 in storage
BM-21	Soviet Union	Multiple rocket launcher	~100	120px	122-mm multiple-launch rocket system
SS-21 Scarab-A	Soviet Union	Tactical ballistic missile	8	120px	The only remaining ballistic missile system from the now-disbanded Rocket Forces; 8 TELs and 16 missiles with a 70 km range are in service
ZU-23-2	Soviet Union	AA gun	128		Most ZU-23-2s in Bulgarian service are mounted on ZIL 131 trucks
S-60	Soviet Union	AA gun	16	120px	Heavier 57 mm AA gun
SA-7	Soviet Union	Man-portable SAM system	~100
SA-8 Gecko	Soviet Union	SAM system	24	120px	Highly mobile short-range SAM system with 15 km range
SA-13 Gopher	Soviet Union	SAM system	20		Short-range battlefield SAM system with 5 km range

New equipment

• Mercedes-Benz Zetros (335).

Recently retired equipment

• PT-76 amphibious tanks (250)
• T-62 tanks (200, sold to Ethiopia, Yemen and Angola)
• T-55 tanks
• T-34 tanks (177, some sold to Mali and other African countries; 42 kept in storage near the village of Ohrid, Montana Province; some are used as anti-tank weapons targets; the rest of the tanks were scrapped)
• BRDM-1
• BTR-152
• BTR-40
• 2S3 Akatsiya (some 20)
• SS-23 (8 launchers + 24 missiles, destroyed)
• FROG-7 (24 launchers + dozens of missiles, destroyed)
• Scud-B (36 launchers + dozens of missiles, destroyed)
• AT-1 Snapper ATGMs
• BM-13 Multiple rocket launchers

See also

• Defense industry of Bulgaria
• Military of Bulgaria

External links

• [2] or [3] The download link(s) to details of Bulgaria's military equipment, including the reserve as of 2013. Note: some of the reserve items are not listed on this page, such as the 430 T55's in reserve status.