Moldovan Ground Forces
The Moldovan Ground Forces is the land armed forces branch of the Moldovan Armed Forces. The Moldovan Ground Forces date back to the dissolution of the Soviet Union between 1991 and 1992. The Moldovan Ground Forces consisted of 3,250 personnel in 2014.[1]
History
At the beginning of 1994, the Moldovan army (under the Ministry of Defense) consisted of 9,800 men organized into three motor rifle brigades, one artillery brigade, and one reconnaissance/assault battalion. Its equipment consisted of fifty-six ballistic missile defenses; seventy-seven armored personnel carriers and sixty-seven "look-alikes;" eighteen 122 mm and fifty-three 152 mm towed artillery units; nine 120 mm combined guns/mortars; seventy AT-4 Spigot, nineteen AT-5 Spandrel, and twenty-seven AT-6 Spiral anti-tank guided weapons; a 73 mm SPG-9 recoilless launcher, forty-five MT-12 100 mm anti-tank guns; and thirty ZU-23 23 mm and twelve S-60 57 mm air defense guns. Moldova has received some arms from former Soviet stocks maintained on the territory of the republic as well as undetermined quantities of arms from Romania, particularly at the height of the fighting with Transnistria.
By 2006–7, the Army had been reduced to a strength of 5,710, including three motor rifle brigades, one artillery brigade, and independent SF and engineer battalions, plus an independent guard unit. Equipment included 44 BMD-1 AIFV, and 266 APCs, including 91 TAB-71s, as well as 227 artillery pieces.[2]
In 2010, the Army had been further reduced to 5,148 (3,176 professional soldiers and 1,981 conscripts) plus 2,379 paramilitary forces. The reserve force consists of 66,000 troops. Equipment included 44 AIFV, 164 APCs, 148 artillery pieces, 117 ATGMs, 138+ recoilless guns, 36 towed antitank guns and 37 towed anti-aircraft guns.
Current Structure
- 1st Infantry Brigade "Moldova" – Bălţi - appears to have formed from former Soviet forces, including elements of the former 86th Guards Motor Rifle Division
- 2nd Infantry Brigade "Stefan Cel Mare" – Chişinău
- 3rd Infantry Brigade "Dacia" – Cahul
- Artillery Brigade "Prut" – Ungheni
- Independent Engineer Battalion Codru
- Independent Radio Regiment Basarabia
- Independent Special Forces Battalion Fulger – Chişinău
- Independent Honour Guard Company – Chişinău
- Ministry of defence – Chişinău
- Carabinier Troops (is the Gendarmerie-type force of the Republic of Moldova)
Equipment
Infantry equipment | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SSh-68 | Soviet Union | Combat helmet | Operational | mainly regular army | |
PASGT | United States | Combat helmet | Operational | mainly Special Forces and 22 Peacekeeping Battalion | |
STSh-81 | Soviet Union | Combat helmet | Operational | mainly Police Special Forces | |
MASKA-1 | Soviet Union | Combat helmet | Operational | mainly Police Special Forces | |
PMG | Soviet Union | Gas Mask | Operational | ||
PG-1 | Soviet Union | Gas Mask | Operational | ||
Flak jacket | United States | Body armor | Operational | mainly regular army | |
Interceptor body armor | United States | Body armor | Operational | mainly Special Forces and 22 Peacekeeping Battalion | |
M81 Woodland | United States | camouflage pattern | Operational | ||
Infantry firearms grenades or mines | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
TT pistol | Soviet Union | Semi-automatic pistol | TT-33 | Operational | Regular Army |
PM | Soviet Union | Semi-automatic pistol | Makarov PM | Operational | Regular Army, Special Forces, Police etc. |
AK-74 | Soviet Union | Assault rifle | AK-74, AKS-74, AKS-74U | Operational | Regular Army, Special Forces, Police etc. |
AKM | Soviet Union | Assault rifle | AKM, AKMS | Operational | mainly Regular Army and Special Forces |
Pistol Mitralieră model 1963/1965 | Romania | Assault rifle | Pistol Mitralieră model 1963/1965 | Operational | mainly Regular Army and Police |
PM md. 64 | Romania | Light machine gun | PM md. 64 | Operational | mainly Regular Army |
PK machine gun | Soviet Union | General purpose machine gun | PK | Operational | mainly Regular Army |
RPK | Soviet Union | Light machine gun | RPK | Operational | mainly Regular Army |
Dragunov SVD | Soviet Union | Sniper rifle | SVD | Operational | mainly Regular Army Special Forces and Police |
PSL | Romania | Sniper rifle | PSL | Operational | mainly Regular Army Special Forces and Police |
GP-25 | Soviet Union | Grenade launcher | GP-25 | Operational | mainly Regular Army Special Forces and Police |
RPG-7 | Soviet Union | Rocket-propelled grenade | RPG-7 | Operational | mainly Regular Army Special Forces and Police |
AG-7 | Romania | Rocket-propelled grenade | AG-7 | Operational | mainly Regular Army Special Forces and Police |
RPG-22 | Soviet Union | Rocket-propelled grenade | RPG-22 | Operational | Regular Army and Special Forces |
F1 | Soviet Union | Hand grenade | F1 | Operational | Regular Army, Special Forces, Police |
RGD-5 | Soviet Union | Hand grenade | RGD-5 | Operational | Regular Army and Special Forces |
MON-50 | Soviet Union | Anti-personnel mine | MON-50 | Operational | Regular Army and Special Forces |
TM-46 | Soviet Union | Anti-tank mine | TM-46 | Operational | Regular Army and Special Forces |
Zarya Stun Grenade | Soviet Union | Stun greande | Zarya Stun Grenade | Operational | Regular Army, Special Forces, Police |
Infantry combat vehicle | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
T-64 | Soviet Union | Main battle tank | T-64BV | 3 | Operational (primarily for training purposes) |
BMD-1 | Soviet Union | Infantry fighting vehicle | BMD-1P | 44[3] | Operational |
BTR-D | Soviet Union | armoured personnel carrier | BTR-D | 9[3] | Operational |
BTR-80 | Soviet Union | Armoured personnel carrier | BTR-80, ZS-88 | 11[3] (six of them are in service with Fulger police Brigade) | Operational |
BTR-70 | Soviet Union | Armoured personnel carrier | BTR-70 | 5 (in security zone) | Operational |
BTR-60PB | Soviet Union | Armoured personnel carrier | R-145, 1V18, 1V19 | 48 | Operational |
HMMWV | United States | Multi-purpose armoured vehicle | 43 | Operational | |
TAB | Romania | Armoured personnel carrier | TAB-71M | 89 TAB-71M[3] | Operational |
MT-LB | Soviet Union | multi-purpose fully amphibious armoured vehicle | MT-LB-AT, RKhM, SNAR-10, 1L259; | 55[3] | Operational |
BM-21 Grad | Soviet Union | multiple rocket launcher | BM-21 | 14 | Operational |
ATGM | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
9K111 Fagot | Soviet Union | ATGM | 9K111 Fagot | 71[3] | Operational |
BRDM-2 | Soviet Union | ATGM launcher vehicle | 9P148 | 27 | Inoperational, Stored |
MT-LB | Soviet Union | ATGM launcher vehicle | 9P149 | 27 | Inoperational, Stored |
9K115 Metis | Soviet Union | ATGM | 9K115 Metis | ? | Operational |
9M113 Konkurs | Soviet Union | ATGM | 9M113 | 19[3] | |
9K114 Shturm | Soviet Union | ATGM | 9K114 | 27[3] | |
Recoilless rifles | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
SPG-9 | Soviet Union | Recoilless rifles | SPG-9, AG-9 | 138+[3] | Operational |
Anti-tank guns | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
T-12 | Soviet Union | Anti-tank guns | MT-12 | 36[3] | Operational |
Artillery | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
82 mm Model-1977 | Romania | Mortar | M77 | 52[3] | Operational |
120 mm 2B11 Sani 120 mm mortar | Soviet Union | Mortar | 2B11 Sani | 7[3] | Operational |
122 mm howitzer M1938 (M-30) | Soviet Union | Howitzer | M1938 | 17[3] | Inoperational, Stored |
152 mm howitzer M1955 | Soviet Union | Towed howitzer | D-20 | 31[3] | Operational |
152 mm 2A36 | Soviet Union | Towed howitzer | 2A36 | 21[3] | Operational, restored in 2011 |
120 mm 2S9 Nona | Soviet Union | Self-propelled artillery | 2S9 | 9[3] | Operational, restored in 2011 |
220 mm 9P140 | Soviet Union | Multiple rocket launcher system | 9P140 | 11[3] (munitions are destroyed only trucks remain) | Restored, 2014 |
Air defence artillery | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
23 mm ZU-23-2 | Soviet Union | Anti-aircraft gun | Zu-23M | 26[3] | Operational, some mounted on BTR-D |
57 mm S-60 | Soviet Union | Anti-aircraft gun | 11[3] | ||
Reconnaissance | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
BMP-1 | Soviet Union | Artillery reconnaissance vehicle | PRP-4 Nard | 6 | Inoperational, in storage |
Surface-to-air missile | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
S-125 Neva/Pechora | Soviet Union | Surface-to-air missile system | S-125 | 16 launchers | Operational, active service |
S-75 Dvina | Soviet Union | Surface-to-air missile system | S-75 | 3 launchers | Inoperational, phased out |
SA-5 Gammon | Soviet Union | Surface-to-air missile system | S-125 | 12 launchers | Inoperational, phased out |
References
|