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

Total units of equipment, incl. those in reserve:

• MBTs: 590
• Armored Personnel Carriers: ~1250
• IFVs: ~200
• Armored cars: ~700
• Anti-tank vehicles: 24
• Towed artillery: 529
• Self-propelled artillery: ~600
• SAM launchers: 208
• AA artillery: ~350

Small arms

AK-47 Type 3, produced in Bulgaria as AKK

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

Sidearms

• Makarov PM 9x18 handgun (local production) (Military, National Police)
• SIG Pro SP 2022 9x19 handgun (Special Forces, Military Police)
• Arcus-98DA 9x19 handgun (Special Forces)

Assault rifles

• AR-M1 7.62x39 assault rifle (AK-47 derivative) by Arsenal JSCo Standard issue infantry rifle.
• AR-M4SF 7.62x39 / 5.56x45 carbine rifle by Arsenal JSCo
• AR-M12F 5.56x45 assault rifle by Arsenal JSCo (Special Forces)
• AR-M9F 5.56x45 assault rifle by Arsenal JSCo (Special Forces)
• H&K HK416 5.56x45 assault rifle (Special Forces, Military Police)
• Steyr AUG 5.56x45 assault rifle (in limited use with the SOBT only)

Submachine guns

• H&K MP5A3 9x19 SMG (Special Forces, Military Police)
• H&K MP5SD6 9x19 SMG (Special Forces)
• H&K MP5K PDW 9x19 SMG (Special Forces)
• Arsenal Shipka 9x19 SMG

Sniper rifles

• Dragunov 7.62x54 sniper rifle (local production)
• H&K MSG90A1 7.62x51 sniper rifle (Special Forces)
• Blaser R93 Tactical sniper rifle (Special Forces)
• PGM Ultima Ratio 7.62x51 Tactical sniper rifle (Military Police)
• Barrett M82 12.7x99 sniper rifle (SOBT)

Machine guns

• RPK 7.62x39 LMG
• PKM 7.62x54 universal machine gun (local production)
• MG-M1 7.62x51 universal machine gun (PKM derivative by Arsenal JSCo)
• NSV 12.7x108 heavy machine guns
• M2 Browning 12.7x99 heavy machine guns

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
• 82 mm M82
• 120 mm 2S12 Sani
• 120 mm 2S12 "Tundzha-Sani" self-propelled on MT-LB (356)

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 30x25 grenade launchers, AGS-17 derivate by Arsenal JSCo
• 40x53 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

Name	Origin	Type	Number	Photo	Notes
Armoured fighting vehicles
T-72M2	Soviet Union	Main battle tank	160[1]		Locally upgraded version with C4I systems and reduced thermal signature; another 270 T-72M and T-72M1 in reserve
BMP-23/30	Bulgaria	IFV	ca. 50		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	IFV	ca. 30		Soviet tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle with a 73-mm smoothbore gun
BTR-60PB-MD1	Bulgaria	APC	ca. 40		Local production BTR-60 with a new engine, side doors and other improvements [additional non-modernized BTR-60PB in reserve];
MT-LB / MT-LBu	Bulgaria	APC	250		Light multi-purpose vehicle; mostly used as an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC)
BRDM-2	Soviet Union	Scout car	22		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[2]		4x4 armoured patrol vehicle used by the Military Police service
M1117	United States	Patrol vehicle	7		4x4 multi-purpose armoured patrol vehicle; 6 deployed in Afghanistan
HMMWV	United States	Multi-purpose vehicle	52		20 M1151A1, 30 M1025A2, 2 M1035A2 ambulances, some M998 and M1114 (up-armored) deployed in Afghanistan
Mercedes-Benz G-Class	Germany	Armoured jeep	150-200		4x4 armoured [G 280 CDi] and non-armoured [G 270 CDi] jeep; partially armed with locally produced PKM machine guns [more to be received]
TV-62M	Bulgaria	ARV	Unknown		Armoured Recovery Vehicle based on a T-62 hull
Maritza	Bulgaria	NBC vehicle	Unknown		Tracked NBC protection vehicle based on the MT-LBu

Artillery and air defense

An exact number of each type of weapon in service cannot be established; a total of 192 BM-21 Grad, 2S1 Gvozdika and D-20 are in service.

Name	Origin	Type	Number	Photo	Notes
Artillery and air defense
MT-12	Soviet Union	anti-tank gun	146		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	Bulgaria	Self-propelled howitzer	>500 (many in storage)		122-mm self-propelled howitzer; produced locally as Karamfil
BM-21	Soviet Union	MLRS	>150		122-mm multiple-launch rocket system
SS-21 Scarab-A	Soviet Union	Tactical ballistic missile	8		The only remaining ballistic missile system from the now-disbanded Rocket Forces; 8 TELs and 15 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	90		Heavier 57 mm AA gun
SA-2 Guideline	Soviet Union	SAM system	18		Oldest Surface-to-Air Missile system in Bulgarian service; scheduled to be phased out
SA-3 Goa	Soviet Union	SAM system	30		Medium-range SAM system; SA-3s were used to shoot down an F-117 Nighthawk and an F-16 fighter over Yugoslavia in 1999;[3] to be phased out
SA-5 Gammon	Soviet Union	SAM system	20		Fixed strategic SAM system used to defend high-value targets
SA-6 Gainful	Soviet Union	SAM system	20		Highly mobile medium-range SAM system with 24 km range
SA-8 Gecko	Soviet Union	SAM system	24		Highly mobile short-range SAM system with 15 km range
SA-10 Grumble	Soviet Union	SAM system	10		Advanced SAM system used for strategic defense against all types of aircraft; has limited ABM capability
SA-13 Gopher	Soviet Union	SAM system	20		Short-range battlefield SAM system with 5 km range

Recently retired equipment

• PT-76 amphibious tanks (250)
• T-62 tanks (200, sold to Ethiopia, Yemen and Angola)
• 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

References

1. ^ Modernization plan of the Bulgarian military
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ "Serb discusses 1999 downing of stealth". USA Today. 2005-10-26. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-10-26-serb-stealth_x.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-21. 

See also

• Defense industry of Bulgaria
• Military of Bulgaria