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]
This list contains equipment which is in use by the Cypriot National Guard.
| Model | Origin | Type | Photo | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camoflages | |||||
| Multicam | Camouflage pattern | ||||
| Woodland Digital | Camouflage pattern | Used by LOK (Retired in 2017) | |||
| UCP | Camouflage pattern | (Retired at an unknown date) | |||
| Cypriot Sandstone | Camouflage pattern | ||||
| Greek Lizard | Camouflage pattern | Used by ELDYK | |||
| Model | Origin | Cartridge | Photo | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handguns | ||||||
| HK USP | 9x19mm Parabellum | [2] | ||||
| FN Five-Seven | FN 5.7×28mm | 250 used by Special Forces. | ||||
| Submachine guns | ||||||
| FN P90 | FN 5.7×28mm | 350 used by the Special Forces. | ||||
| Assault rifles | ||||||
| HK G3 | 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] | ||||
| AK-74M | 5.45×39mm | AK-74M version in use by the National Guard.[4] | ||||
| Vz.58 | 7.62×39mm | Used for a brief period of time by the Special Forces in 2016.[5] [6] | ||||
| Colt M16A2 | 5.56×45mm NATO | Used by OYK. | ||||
| FN SCAR-L | 5.56×45mm NATO | Used by the Special Forces.[7] | ||||
| FN SCAR-H (TPR Variant) | 7.62×51mm NATO | |||||
| IWI Tavor X95 | 5.56×45mm NATO | Used by the Special Forces.[8] | ||||
| Sniper rifles | ||||||
| .338 Lapua Magnum | Used by the Special Forces [9] [10] | |||||
| Accuracy International AX50 | .50 BMG | Used by the Special Forces | ||||
| Machine guns | ||||||
| 7.62×51mm NATO | [11] | |||||
| HK21 | 7.62×51mm NATO | A variation of the HK G3 with a heavier barrel. | ||||
| FN MAG | 7.62×51mm NATO | |||||
| 5.56×45mm NATO | Used by mechanised infantry, paratroopers and the Special Forces.[12] | |||||
| 7.62×51mm NATO | ||||||
| M2 Browning | .50 BMG | [13] | ||||
| Grenade launchers | ||||||
| STK 40 AGL | 40 mm grenade | [14] [15] | ||||
| Anti-tank weapons | ||||||
| M72 LAW | Rocket-propelled grenade | 66mm | [16] | |||
| RPG-7V | Rocket-propelled grenade | 85mm | 1,000+ launchers.[17] | |||
| M40A1 | Recoilless rifle | 105mm | 144 M40A1s as of 2016.[18] | |||
| RAC 112 APILAS | Recoilless anti-tank weapon | 112mm | 1,000+ launchers. | |||
| 9M117 Bastion | Anti-tank guided missile | 100mm | Line-of-sight, beam-riding missile (LOSBR) fired from the BMP-3 IFV, 700 missiles delivered in 1996.[19] | |||
| 9M117 Refleks | Anti-tank guided missile | 120mm | Fired from the 125mm main gun of the T80U and T80UK main battle tanks of the National Guard. | |||
| 115mm | 45 launchers, 1,000+ missiles.[20] | |||||
| SPIKE LR2 | Anti-tank guided missile | 130mm | Agreement reportedly signed in 2023, arrival dates are unknown. No official statement regarding the purchase.[21] | |||
| Model | Origin | Photo | Variant | Quantity | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main battle tanks (MBTs) | ||||||
| T-80 | T-80U | 54 | A total of 82 MBTs acquired between 1996 and 2011.[22] | |||
| T-80UK | 28 | |||||
| AMX-30 | 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.[23] [24] [25] | |||
| Infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) | ||||||
| BMP-3 | BMP-3 (Basic Version) | 43 | Deal worth $68 million, and delivered in 1995–1996.[26] | |||
| Armored reconnaissance vehicles | ||||||
| EE-9 Cascavel | 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. | |||
| EE-3 Jararaca | 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. | |||
| Armoured personnel carriers (APCs) | ||||||
| ELVO Leonidas | Leonidas-2 | 197 | Based on the Austrian Saurer 4K 4FA. | |||
| VAB | 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.)[27] | |||
| VAB-VTT | 98 | |||||
| VAB VCI | 17 | |||||
| VAB VCAC | 18 | |||||
| EE-11 Urutu | Unknown | 10 | Status uncertain. | |||
| Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs) | ||||||
| BOV M16 Miloš | 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.[28] [29] | |||
| Armored recovery vehicles (ARVs) | ||||||
| BREM-80 | BREM-80U | 8 | Based on the T-80 chassis.[30] | |||
| AMX-30 | AMX-30D | 2 | ||||
| Euromissile Mephisto | 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. | ||||
| Akeron MP | Deal expected soon along with Sherpa Light.[31] | |||||
| Land Rover Wolf W/ MILAN | / | 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. | ||||
| Model | Origin | Type | Photo | Number | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket artillery | ||||||
| M-63 Plamen | 128mm towed multiple rocket launcher | 24 | ||||
| M-77 Oganj | 128mm self-propelled multiple rocket launcher | 8 | Status uncertain. | |||
| BM-21 Grad | 122mm self-propelled multiple rocket launcher | 4 | Probably second hand. | |||
| Self-propelled artillery | ||||||
| Nora B-52 | 155mm self-propelled howitzer | 24 | First batch received in 2019.[32] | |||
| Zuzana | 155mm self-propelled howitzer | 12 | Ordered in 2001 and delivered in 2007 via Greece. | |||
| Mk F3 155mm | 155mm self-propelled howitzer | 12 | Delivered in 1991. | |||
| M107 | 175mm self-propelled howitzer | 12 | [33] | |||
| M110A2 | 203mm self-propelled howitzer | 8 | ||||
| Artillery command vehicle | 3 | |||||
| AMX-VCI | Artillery command vehicle | Unknown | ||||
| Towed artillery | ||||||
| 105mm towed howitzer | 72 | Delivered in 1986. | ||||
| M1944 BS-3 | 100mm towed gun | 20 | Most if not all have been transferred to Ukraine. | |||
| M-114 | 155mm towed howitzer | 12 | ||||
| TRF1 | 155 mm towed howitzer | 12 | Delivered in 1991. | |||
| Mortars | ||||||
| E44-E Mortar | 81 mm mortar | 180 | ||||
| 81 mm mortar | Unknown | In use as of 2000.[34] | ||||
| 106.7 mm mortar | 26 | To be fully retired.[35] | ||||
| 120 mm mortar | 116 | Delivered in 1990-1991. 12 equipped on mortar carriers. | ||||
See main article: Cyprus Air Command.
| Name | Origin | Type | Photo | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface-to-air missiles | ||||||
| TOR M-1 | | Surface to air missile system | 6 | Delivered by Greece in replacement for the S-300.[36] | ||
| Buk M1-2 | | Surface to air missile system | 8 | Total number of systems is unknown. Could be 2 batteries with 4 systems each.[37] [38] [39] | ||
| Aspide |  United States  Italy | Surface to air missile system | 24 | With 12 Skyguard radars. | ||
| Mistral | Man-portable air defense system | 300 | 18 Mistral MANPADS and 12x2 Mistral Atlas vehicle based systems. More than 300 missiles. More missile on order as of June 2023.[40] | |||
| | Man-portable air defense system | 100 | Operational Numbers may be less[41] | |||
| 9S737M Ranzhir-M | Mobile command center | Unknown | Mobile Command Centre for the coordination of the TOR air defense network system [42] | |||
| Anti aircraft artillery | ||||||
| GDF-005 | Anti-aircraft gun | 24 | 2x35mm anti-aircraft gun. | |||
| Zastava M-55 | Anti-aircraft gun | 50 | 3x20mm anti-aircraft gun. | |||
See main article: Cyprus Navy.
| Class | Origin | Vessel Type | Photo | Name | In Service | Length | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Fleet | ||||||||
| Al Mumbrukah | Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) | "Alasia" | 1 | 62m | Gift from the Sultan of Oman, refitted for military purposes in 2017.[43] [44] | |||
| Saar 62 | 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.[45] [46] | |||
| Rodman 55 | Fast Assault boat | "Agathos" "Panagos" | 2 | 17m | Acquired in 2002, Used by Special Forces. | |||
| RIB 42' SF | Fast Assault boat | "Nireas 1" "Poseidonas 1 " | 2 | 13m | Used by Special Forces actively. | |||
| FPB C382 | "Eleftherios Tsomakis" "Nikolas Georgiou" | 2 | 27m | |||||
| Esterel | "Salamis" | 1 | 32m | Oldest active ship in the National Guard naval forces - Heavily upgraded. | ||||
| FPB | Multitask Patrol Boat | "Ammochostos" | 1 | 26m | Donated from the ministry of agriculture. [47] | |||
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 80's 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.[48]
| Name | Origin | Type | Photo | Number | Expected Arrival | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exocet MM40 Block 3 | 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.[49] [50] | |||
| Mistral III | SHORAD / MANPADs | Unknown | N/A | The Mistral deal of the came along side with the orders of new Exocet block 3 systems from France. | |||
| Iron Dome | Air defense System | Unknown | N/A | Not much is known on the deal, claims on agreement came to light in 2022 | |||
| Saar 62 | 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.[51] | |||
| Airbus H145 | / | Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter | 6 + 6 | First batch 2024 (6) | Ordered in 2021 | ||
| MARSEUS | 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.[52] [53] |
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