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List of equipment of the Nigerian Army

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This is a list of some equipment used by the Nigerian Army. Due to how large and secretive the Nigerian army is, it is currently almost impossible to calculate all weaponry in the army.

Infantry weapons

[edit]
Name Photo Type Country of origin Notes
Handguns
Beretta 92[1] Semi-automatic pistol  Italy
Beretta M1951[2] Semi-automatic pistol  Italy
Browning Hi-Power Semi-automatic pistol  Belgium
 Nigeria 		Produced locally under licence as the NP-1.[3]
Walther P5[1] Semi-automatic pistol  West Germany
Submachine guns
Heckler & Koch MP5[2] Submachine gun  West Germany
Beretta M12[4] Submachine gun  Italy
 Nigeria 		Produced locally under licence by DICON.
Sten[5] Submachine gun  United Kingdom
Sterling[2] Submachine gun  United Kingdom
Uzi[2] Submachine gun  Israel Phased out and no longer in much use.
Rifles
IWI Tavor[6][7] Bullpup assault rifle  Israel Used mostly by Special Forces.
CAA AK-Alfa[8][9] Assault rifle  United States
 Israel 		Used by Special Forces.
Beryl M762[10] Assault rifle  Poland
 Nigeria 		Produced locally under license by DICON.

Will serve as standard issued assault rifle, to replace OBJ-006 and NR-1.

FB Mini-Beryl[11] Compact assault rifle (carbine)  Poland 10 test units purchased.
M16A1[12] Assault rifle  United States
FN FNC[2] Assault rifle  Belgium
Beretta AR70/90[2] Assault rifle  Italy
Daewoo K2[13] Assault rifle  South Korea 33,000 units have been bought
AK-47 Assault rifle  Soviet Union
 Nigeria 		Produced as OBJ-006.[14][15]
AKM[16] Assault rifle  Soviet Union
SIG SG 540[2] Assault rifle   Switzerland
FN FAL Battle rifle  Belgium
 Nigeria 		Local variant designated NR-1.[17][18][19]
Beretta BM 59 Battle rifle  Italy
 Nigeria 		Produced locally under licence by DICON.
Machine guns
M2 Browning[2] Heavy machine gun  United States
DShK Heavy machine gun  Soviet Union
FN MAG General-purpose machine gun  Belgium
RPK Light machine gun  Soviet Union
Sniper rifles
Alex .338[20] Sniper rifle  Poland
Grenade launchers
Norinco LG3 AGL Automatic grenade launcher  China

Missiles and recoilless rifles

[edit]
Name Photo Type Country of origin Notes
Anti-tank missiles
Swingfire[21] Anti-tank missile  United Kingdom 100 in stock.[22]
Recoilless rifles
M40[23] Recoilless rifle  United States
Carl Gustav Anti-tank weapon  Sweden [2]
Rocket-propelled grenades
RPG-7 Anti-tank weapon  Soviet Union

Armoured fighting vehicles

[edit]
Model Image Origin Variant Quantity Details
Tanks
VT-4  China VT-4 ~17+ [24][25]
T-72  Soviet Union T-72AV
T-72M1 		~10
~31 		[26][27]
[26][27]
T-54  Soviet Union T-55 ~100 [26][28]
Vickers  United Kingdom Vickers Mk3 ~172 [26][28]
Name Photo Type Country of origin In service Notes
Reconnaissance vehicles
FV101 Scorpion Reconnaissance vehicle  United Kingdom 157[23]
FV107 Scimitar Reconnaissance vehicle  United Kingdom 5[23] More units purchased from Jordan
ERC-90 Armoured car  France 80[29] 40 with Lynx turret.
EE-9 Cascavel Armoured car  Brazil 70[23] Delivered in 1994.[22]
Panhard AML Armoured car  France 130[23] AML-60 and AML-90 variants.
Panhard VBL Scout car  France 72[22]
Ferret Scout car  United Kingdom 25[29] 40 delivered.[22] Retired
Infantry fighting vehicles
BMP-1 Infantry fighting vehicle  Soviet Union 22[30] BVP-1 variant.
BMP-2 Infantry fighting vehicle  Russia 40 [31][32]
Armoured personnel carriers
Type 89 AFV Armoured personnel carrier  China 60[33]
Saurer 4K 4FA Armoured personnel carrier  Austria 250[23] .[29]
MT-LB Armoured personnel carrier  Soviet Union 67[22] Sourced from Poland.
Mowag Piranha I 6x6 Armoured personnel carrier   Switzerland 110[23]
BTR-3 Armoured personnel carrier  Ukraine 47[22] BTR-3U "Guardian" variant.
BTR-70 Armoured personnel carrier  Soviet Union 18[34]
BTR-60 Armoured personnel carrier  Soviet Union 6[35]
Saxon Armoured personnel carrier  United Kingdom 75[22] Serviceability doubtful.[23]
Panhard M3 Armoured personnel carrier  France 18[23]
Ezugwu MRAP Armoured personnel carrier  Nigeria 80+[36] Total of 80 confirmed. [37]28+52

[38]

Isotrex Phantom 2 Armoured personnel carrier  Canada [39] At least 3 destroyed by ISWAP.[40][41]
Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle
CS/VP3 MRAP MRAP  China 310 120 was delivered in 2015[42], 40 delivered in 2018, and a further 100 was delivered in 2021 [43]between March and November.[44]

Additional 50 was delivered as confirmed by General Lagbaja in June 2024.

Dongfeng Mengshi Csk131 MRAP  China 120 20 reverse engineered units delivered to the army in May 2024[45]
Proforce Ara/Thunder MRAP  Nigeria 40+ [46]
Proforce Viper Light tactical vehicle  Nigeria
Proforce Hulk MRAP  Nigeria 5 [47]
Otokar Cobra Light tactical vehicle  Turkey 204[23]
Casspir MRAP  South Africa 5[23] Casspir III variant.
Reva MRAP  South Africa 40[48] Mk III.[49]
Plasan Sand Cat Composite armored vehicle  Israel More units ordered
Light armored vehicles
Nurol Yörük NMS Light armored vehicle  Turkey 13 on order[50]
Spartan MK.III Light armored vehicle  Canada [51] More units ordered
INKAS LAPV Light armored patrol vehicle  Canada [51]
KLTV Light tactical vehicle  South Korea [46]
Shorland Armoured car  United Kingdom Mk 3.[52]
Armoured ambulances
FV104 Samaritan Tracked armoured ambulance  United Kingdom

Logistics

[edit]
Name Photo Type Country of origin In service Notes
KrAZ-6322[53] Utility truck  Ukraine Unknown Some locally manufactured.[54]
Ashok Leyland Troop Carrier  India 700 [55] Assembled in Nigeria.

Engineering vehicles

[edit]
Name Photo Type Country of origin In service Notes
BOZENA 5[56] Unmanned ground vehicle  Slovakia N/A Clearance of all conventional antipersonnel and antitank land mines and for IED removal assistance.[57]
Vickers AVLB[58] Armored bridge-layer  United Kingdom 26
Vickers ARV[58] Armored recovery vehicle  United Kingdom 12

Utility vehicle

[edit]
Name Photo Type Country of origin In service Notes
Pinzgauer[59] High-mobility all-terrain vehicle  Austria N/A
Land Rover Utility vehicle  United Kingdom
 Nigeria 		N/A Some of local manufacture.[52]
Haflinger Utility vehicle  Austria 400[59]
Toyota Hilux[60] Light truck  Japan N/A
Toyota Land Cruiser Light truck  Japan N/A Used as utility vehicles and technicals[61]

Some were converted to armored cars.[62]

Tarpan Honker[63][64] Multipurpose pickup truck  Poland 25
IVM G-12[65] Special purpose vehicles[66]  Nigeria N/A
IVM G-80[67] Light truck[68]  Nigeria 40

Artillery

[edit]
Name Photo Type Country of origin In Service Notes
Self-propelled artillery
SH-5 Self-propelled howitzer  China 15[69] 105mm caliber[70]
SH-2 122mm caliber
Palmaria Self-propelled howitzer  Italy 25[71]
APR–40 Multiple rocket launcher  Romania 25[23]
BM-21 Grad Multiple rocket launcher  Soviet Union 5[72]
RM-70 Multiple rocket launcher  Czechoslovakia 7[73]
Mortars
L16 81mm mortar  United Kingdom 200[29]
Anti-tank guns
ST-1 Tank Destroyer  China N/A Delivered in April 2020.[70]
ZiS-3[29] Anti-tank gun  Soviet Union N/A
Howitzers
D-30 Howitzer  Soviet Union 90[22]
D-74 Howitzer  Soviet Union 90[22]
M46 Howitzer  Soviet Union 7[23]
D-20 Howitzer  Soviet Union 4[23] Delivered in 1992.[22]
Haubits FH77 Howitzer  Sweden 24[29] Reportedly all guns are in storage.
OTO Melara Mod 56 Howitzer  Italy 124[23] 200 delivered.[22]

Air defence

[edit]
Name Photo Type Country of origin In service Notes
Self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons
ZSU-23-4 Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun  Soviet Union 30[23]
Towed anti-aircraft guns
Bofors L/60 Towed anti-aircraft gun  Sweden 12[23]
ZPU[29] Towed anti-aircraft gun  Soviet Union N/A
ZU-23-2 Towed anti-aircraft gun  Soviet Union 350[23]
Surface-to-air missiles
Blowpipe Surface-to-air missile  United Kingdom 48[29]
Roland Surface-to-air missile  France 16[29] Mounted on AMX-30 chassis.
9K32 Strela-2 Surface-to-air missile  Soviet Union 100[23]

Aircraft

[edit]
Name Photo Type Country of origin Notes
Helicopters
MD500 Defender Light Attack helicopter  United States Status: On order

12 units on order[74]

Bell UH-1 Iroquois Utility  United States 2 units in service
HAL Prachand
Attack helicopter  India Status: Planned

4 to be ordered.[75][76]

Bayraktar TB2 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle  Turkey 3 units in service

References

[edit]
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