Bulgarian land forces

The Bulgarian Land Forces are one of the service branches of the Bulgarian Army. Their existence is to be traced back to the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681. In more recent history the Land Forces have played an active role in the Bulgarian participation in the Balkan Wars,World War I and World War II. The Bulgarian Land Forces are scheduled to become fully professional by 1 January 2008, bringing an end to mandatory military service. The Bulgarian Air Force and Naval Forces are already fully professional.

Functions

The Land Forces are functionally divided into Active and Reserve Forces. Their main functions include deterrence, defense, peace support and crisis management, humanitarian and rescue missions, as well as social functions within Bulgarian society.

The Active Forces mainly have peacekeeping and defensive duties, and are further divided into Deployment Forces, Immediate Reaction, and Main Defense Forces. The Reserve Forces consists of Enhancement Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, and Training Grounds. They deal with planning and reservist preparation, armaments and equipment storage, training of formations for active forces rotation or increase in personnel.

During peacetime the Land Forces maintain permanent combat and mobilization readiness. They become part of multinational military formations in compliance with international treaties Bulgaria is a Party of, participate in the preparation of the population, the national economy and the maintenance of wartime reserves and the infrastructure of the country for defense.

In times of crisis the Land Forces' main tasks relate to participation in operations countering terrorist activities and defense of strategic facilities (such as nuclear power plants and major industrial facilities), assisting the security forces in proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, illegal armaments traffic and international terrorism.

In case of low- and medium-intensity military conflict the Active Forces that are part of the Land Forces participate in carrying out the initial tasks for the defense of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country.

In case of a military conflict of high intensity the Land Forces, together with the Air Force and the Navy, form the defense group of the Bulgarian Army aiming at countering aggression and protection of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country.

tructure

The Land Forces in peacetime are an HQ, Operational Forces Command, two Commands (East and West), Special Operations Forces Command and directly subordinate to the HQ units and formations.

*"Operational Forces Command" comprises mechanized, light infantry and armored brigades; an artillery brigade, logistics brigade and combat support units.

*"West and East Commands" comprise mobilization bases, centers and training ranges.In wartime the mobilization bases and centers deploy mechanized and artillery brigades and regiments.

*"Special Operations Forces Command" comprises special operations brigade, paratrooper intelligence regiment and psychological operations battalion.

Major units

* 9th Armored Brigade (T-72 equipped) - Gorna Banya
* 13th Armored Brigade (T-55 & T-72 equipped, Training) - Sliven
* 5th "Shipchenska" Mechanized Brigade - Pleven
* 2nd Infantry Brigade - Stara Zagora
* 61th "Stryamska" Mechanized Brigade - Karlovo
* 68th Special Operations Brigade - Plovdiv
* 101st Mountain Brigade - Smolyan, Ardino, Momchilgrad
* 4th Artillery Brigade - Asenovgrad

History

Land Forces Commanders

* 2006 - Incumbent : Major General Ivan Kirev Dobrev

References

ee also

*SOBT - Bulgarian special forces - Although not part of the Armed Forces the operators of that Ministry of Interior unit have enhanced close quarters combat, firing, driving (including APCs), parachute skills. The primary Counter-Terror asset of the Republic of Bulgaria, the unit is directly subordinated to the minister. Operatives are called unofficially "The Berets" because of their specific caps - berets. Unit is supported by the special forces of the Gendarmery National Service.

Inventory of the Bulgarian armed forces

* MBTs: ~520
* Armored Personnel Carriers: ~1250
* IFVs: 173
* Armored cars: ~220
* Anti-tank vehicles: 24
* Towed artillery: 529
* Self-propelled artillery: ~1400
* SAM launchers: ~200
* AA artillery: ~300

Infantry and anti-tank weapons

* AR-M1 (Bulgarian-made enhanced assault rifle built off AK-47 platform)
* RPG-7
* Dragunov Sniper rifle
* RPD machine guns
* RPK light machine guns
* Uzi submachine guns (special forces)
* SPG-9DNM recoilles rifles
* hundreds of mortars of various calibre:
** 60 mm
** 81 mm
** 82 mm
* AT-2 Swatter ATGMs
* AT-3 Sagger ATGMs
* AT-4 Spigot ATGMs (222)
* AT-5 Spandrel ATGMs
* AT-6 Spiral ATGMs
* AT-7 Saxhorn ATGMs
* SA-16/SA-18 MANPADS
* SA-7 Grail MANPADS (locally-built modified version Strela-2M)

Armored vehicles

* 160 T-72M2 tanks and some 200 in storage [ [http://www.mod.bg/bg/docs/2008/20080325_Actual_Plan.pdf Modernization plan of the Bulgarian military] ]
* 160 T-55AM2 tanks (in storage and used for training)
* 12 BRDM-2 armored scout cars
* 24 BRDM-2 Konkurs (dedicated anti-tank vehicle armed with 4x AT-5 Spandrel)
* "93" BMP-23 IFVs
* "80" BMP-1P IFVs
* "433" BTR-60 APCs
* "817" MT-LB (Bulgarian-made)
* ~300 Mercedes-Benz G-Class armored jeeps (600 ordered, to be delivered by 2010)
* 50 HMMWV (deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq) [ [http://www.dnevnik.bg/show/?storyid=99782 България | Купуват 50 Хамъра за Сухопътни войски - Dnevnik.bg ] ]
* 7 M1117 armored fighting vehicles (6 for the Bulgarian mission in Afganistan and 1 for the light armored brigade in Stara Zagora, more to be delivered)
* TV-62M armored recovery vehicles, made by a modified T-62 tank hull with parts of a T-55 turret.

* Note: Numbers in "italics" mean that the current number of vehicles may be smaller than shown here.

Artillery

* 122 mm BM-21 multiple-launch rocket system (221)
* 152 mm D-20 towed guns (190)
* 152 mm 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzers (some 20 delivered, probably none in service)
* 130 mm M-46 towed guns (73)
* 122 mm M-30 towed howitzers (70)
* 122 mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers (506)
* 120 mm 2S12 Tundzha self-propelled mortars (247)
* 100 mm SU-100 self-propelled anti-tank guns (68, in storage)
* 100 mm MT-12 anti tank gun//artillery cannon (126)
* 120 mm 2S11 self-propelled guns (359)

Air defence equipment

* SA-2 Guideline missiles
* SA-3 Goa missiles (approx. 30 missile launch units)
* SA-4 Ganef missiles (retired)
* SA-5 Gammon missiles (1 battalion)
* SA-6 Gainful missiles (approx. 20 missile launch units)
* SA-8 Gecko self-propelled air defence missile systems (24 missile launch units)
* SA-9 Gaskin self-propelled air defence missile systems (stored)
* SA-10 Grumble air defence missile systems (2 batteries with each 5 missile launch units)
* SA-13 Gopher self-propelled air defence missile systems (approx. 20 missile launch units)
* various types of AA cannons
** ZSU-57-2 (dozens)
** ZSU-23-4 (27)
** ZU-23-2 (128)
** S-60 (90)
** ZPU-4 (dozens)

Ballistic missile systems

* SS-21 Scarab-A tactical ballistic missile complex (approx. 18 launchers + at least 36 missiles), 70 km range

ources

*cite web
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title = Structure and functions of Bulgarian land forces
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