List of equipment of the Latvian Land Forces

This is a list of equipment used by the Latvian Land Forces.

Personal equipment

The equipment of the Latvian Land Forces troops includes:

• LatPat, Multi-LatPat and WoodLatPat (Latvian digital camouflage uniform).
• Norwegian BEAR-II load bearing armor system
• Kevlar helmets
• Night vision devices

Infantry weapons

Model	Image	Origin	Variant	Caliber	Details
Pistols
Glock		Austria	Glock 17 Glock 19 Glock 21 Glock 26	9×19mm Parabellum	Standard issue pistol.[1][2][3]
Heckler & Koch P2A1		Germany	Flare gun	26.5mm	Complementary order in 2024[4]
Submachine guns
Heckler & Koch UMP		Germany	UMP9	9×19mm Parabellum	Standard issue submachine gun.[1][3]
Heckler & Koch MP5		West Germany	MP5A3	9×19mm Parabellum	[3]
Heckler & Koch MP7		Germany	MP7A2	HK 4.6×30mm	[3][5]
Shotguns
Remington 870		United States	MCS	12 gauge	[3]
Winchester 1300		United States		12 gauge	Is going to be replaced.[3]
Mossberg 500		United States		12 gauge	Is going to be replaced.[3]
Assault rifles and Rifles
Heckler & Koch G36		Germany	G36V G36KV G36KV3	5.56×45mm NATO	Standard issue assault rifle.[1][2][3][6]Complementary order in 2024.[4]
M16		United States	M16A1	5.56×45mm NATO	Used by Honour Guard, as ceremonial rifle.[7]
M14		United States		7.62×51mm NATO	Used by Honour Guard, as ceremonial rifle.[8]
Lee-Enfield		United Kingdom	No.4 MkI*	.303 British	120 rifles were donated by Canada. Used by Honour Guard, as ceremonial rifle.[9]
Sniper rifles
Heckler & Koch HK417		Germany	HK417A2	7.62×51mm NATO	[3][5]
PGM Hécate II		France		12.7×99mm NATO	Standard issue heavy sniper rifle.[1][2][3]
Accuracy International Arctic Warfare		United Kingdom	AW AXMC AX50 ELR	7.62×51mm NATO 12.7×99mm NATO	AW variant used to be the standard issue sniper rifle.[1][3][5]
Barrett M107		United States	M107A1	12.7×99mm NATO	[3][5]
Machine guns
FN Minimi		Belgium	Minimi Para	5.56×45mm NATO	Standard issue light machine gun.[1][2][3]
FN MAG Kulspruta 58		Belgium  Sweden	FN MAG Kulspruta 58 B	7.62×51mm NATO	[2][3]
M2 Browning		United States	M2HB-QCB	12.7×99mm NATO	[10][3]
Grenade launchers
Heckler & Koch AG36		Germany		40×46mm LV	[1][3]
Heckler & Koch GMG		Germany		40×53mm HV	[1][2][3]Complementary order in 2024[4]
Metallic RBG-6		South Africa  South Africa  Croatia		40×46mm	Produced initially without license by Metallic d.o.o. [3]
Anti-tank weapons
SPIKE		Israel	SR LR I LR II ER II		Modern tripod-mounted launcher, programmable attack, fire-and-forget. Fires several missile types, varying in weight and size as they fly from shorter to longer ranges.[2][3][11]
Carl Gustav recoilless rifle		Sweden	M2 M4	84 mm	Re-loadable, fires a variety of ammunition. M2 variant used by the National Guard.[12] 800 Carl Gustaf M2 were donated by Norway.[13] Improved M4 variant on order.[14]
AT4		Sweden		84 mm	Light weight, one-shot, disposable.[2]
Unmanned aerial vehicles
UAV Factory Penguin C		Latvia	Penguin C		Long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles.[15]
AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma		United States	RQ-20A		3 systems, each having 3 unmanned aerial vehicles.[16]

Military vehicles

Name	Image	Origin	Type	Variants	Quantity	Notes
Armoured reconnaissance vehicles
CVR(T)		United Kingdom	Armoured reconnaissance vehicle	Scimitar Sultan Spartan Samson Samaritan	198	116 modernized vehicles in service, plus 7 used for training. 82 additional vehicles on order - to be delivered by 2022.[17][18]
Armoured personnel carriers
Patria 6×6		Finland  Latvia	Armoured personnel carrier	Patria 6×6	>30-50 as of 2023 serving in the National Guard	Approximately 200 vehicles on order. To be delivered 2021–2029.[19][20] The first 4 vehicles received on 29 October 2021. Partially built in Latvia from 2021.[21][22]
Armoured cars
Mercedes-Benz G-Class		Austria  West Germany	Armoured car	290GD	50	[23][24]
Humvee		United States	Armoured car	M1043A2 M1113	30 12	Ten vehicles donated by the United States in 2005.[25] Possibly 28 more purchased later.[26] Some equipped with HK GMG, M2 Browning and Spike anti-tank guided missile.[citation needed]
Trucks
Mercedes-Benz Unimog		Germany	Truck	U1300 U5000	120[27]
Scania		Sweden	Truck	P93 NM154	184 8	134 P93 trucks and 8 NM154 recovery vehicles donated by Norway in 2013. 50 more trucks purchased in 2014.[23]
Light vehicles
Can-Am Outlander		Finland  Canada	All-terrain vehicle	Outlander MAX 650XT	582[28]	[29]
Polaris RZR		United States	Fast attack vehicle	MRZR-2 MRZR-4 MV850	62[30]	Option for up to 130 vehicles.[31]
Mercedes-Benz G-Class		Austria  West Germany	SUV	240GD 300GDN	+66[32] 12[13]	[23][33]
Land Rover Defender		United Kingdom	SUV	D110	2	D110 variant used by military police.[34]
Subaru Forester		Japan	SUV		23	23 vehicles used by military police [35]
Nissan Navara		Japan	SUV		~55	[35]
Special vehicles
M3 Amphibious Rig		Germany	Amphibious bridge layer			4 on order.[36]
Bv 206		Sweden	Amphibious tracked vehicle	Bv 206A Bv 206F		Donated by Sweden in 2002 and 2003.[37]
Cars
Peugeot 308		France	Car		~50	[35]
Ford Transit Custom		United States	Light commercial vehicle		~35	[35]

Artillery

Model	Image	Origin	Caliber	Quantity	Details
Mortars
GrW 86		Austria	120 mm		Multiple units purchased from Austria in 2017.[38]
m/41D		Finland  Sweden	120 mm		[39]
L16 81mm mortar		United Kingdom  Norway	81 mm
Self-propelled artillery
M109A5Ö Rechenstellenpanzer M109 Driver training vehicle		United States  Austria	155 mm	47 10 2	35 howitzers, 10 command and control vehicles and 2 driver training vehicles purchased from Austria in 2017.[40] Additional 18 howitzers received in 2021.[41] 6 howizers were donated to Ukraine.[42]
Rocket artillery
M142 HIMARS		United States	227 mm	0 (6 on order)	In October 2022, Latvian Ministry of Defense announced that the country will acquire 6 systems.[43] The contract was signed in December 2023.[44]

Anti-ship weapons

Model	Image	Origin	Type	Caliber	Notes
Naval Strike Missile		Norway	Anti-ship/land-attack missile		Contract signed in 2023 and the system is planned to be operational in 2027.[45]

Air-defence equipment

Model	Image	Origin	Variant	Details
Medium-range air defence systems
IRIS-T		Germany	IRIS-T SLM	In May 2023, Estonia and Latvia made a decision to jointly procure medium-range IRIS-T SLM.[46] The contract was signed in November 2023 and the systems are planned to be operational in 2026.[47]
Man-portable air-defence systems
FIM-92 Stinger		United States	FIM-92 Stinger	[48] All to be transferred to Ukraine.[49]
PPZR Piorun		Poland		Undisclosed number of missiles ordered in 2022.[50]
RBS-70		Sweden	RBS 70 NG	[51]
Radars
Saab Giraffe		Sweden		[39]
AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel		United States	AN/MPQ-64F1	[52]
AN/TPS-77		United States	AN/TPS-77 TPS-77 MRR	[53]

Retired/obsolete equipment

In the 1990s, the Latvian Army and National Guard troops were equipped with leftover Soviet, Romanian and Czechoslovak^[54] weapons like the AKM, AK-74, SKS rifles and TT and Makarov pistols, alongside early procurements of CZ 82 pistols from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In the late 1990s, a gradual switch to the Swedish-made Ak 4 rifle began, but AK-pattern rifles remained. Today Ak4 rifles are mostly kept in storage.^[55] In 1995, the Czechs donated 20 120mm mortars (possibly the vz. 82 PRAM-L) and 24 100 mm vz. 53 field guns.^[54]

Retired/obsolete vehicles include:

• 2 BRDM-2 armored cars (donated by Poland by 1992, mostly used by the Suži Airborne Reconnaissance Battalion of the Land Forces, later used as target practice);^[56][57]
• 5 T-55AM Merida tanks (donated by Poland in 1999.^[58] Three remaining tanks, still used for training purposes, were reported to have come from the Czech Republic in 2000, not Poland.);^[59][60]
• ~12 Terrängbil m/42 KP IFVs (donated around 1994 by Sweden to the Baltic states, retired by the late 1990s or early 2000s; at least one transferred to the State Border Guard).^{[60][61][62][63]}

References

This page was last edited on 19 March 2024, at 06:53