List of equipment of the Latvian Land Forces

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

LATPAT camouflage pattern and BEAR-II vest

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	Type	Caliber	Details
Pistols
Glock		Austria	Glock 17 Glock 19 Glock 21 Glock 26	Semi-automatic pistol	9×19mm Parabellum	Standard issue pistol.[1][2][3]
Heckler & Koch P2		Germany	HK P2A1	Flare gun	26.5mm	Complementary order in 2024[4]
Submachine guns
Heckler & Koch UMP		Germany	UMP9	Submachine gun	9×19mm Parabellum	Standard issue submachine gun.[1][3]
Heckler & Koch MP5		West Germany	MP5A3	Submachine gun	9×19mm Parabellum	[3]
Heckler & Koch MP7		Germany	MP7A2	PDW Personal defence weapon	HK 4.6×30mm	[3][5]
Shotguns
Remington 870		United States	MCS	Pump action shotgun	12 gauge	[3]
Winchester 1300		United States		Pump action shotgun	12 gauge	Is going to be replaced.[3]
Mossberg 500		United States		Pump action shotgun	12 gauge	It is planned to be replaced.[3]
Assault rifles
Heckler & Koch G36		Germany	G36V G36KV G36KV3	Assault rifle	5.56×45mm NATO	Standard issue assault rifle.[1][2][3][6] Complementary order in 2024.[4]
M16		United States	M16A1	Assault rifle	5.56×45mm NATO	Used by Honour Guard, as ceremonial rifle.[7]
Precision rifles
Heckler & Koch HK417		Germany	HK417A2	Designated marksman rifle	7.62×51mm NATO	[3][5]
Accuracy International Arctic Warfare		United Kingdom	AW	Bolt action sniper rifle	7.62×51mm NATO	AW variant used to be the standard issue sniper rifle.[1]
Accuracy International AXMC		United Kingdom	AXMC	Bolt action sniper rifle	8.6×70mm	[3]
Accuracy International AX50		United Kingdom	AX50 ELR	Anti materiel sniper rifle	12.7×99mm NATO	[3][5]
PGM Hécate II		France		Anti materiel sniper rifle	12.7×99mm NATO	Standard issue heavy sniper rifle.[1][2][3]
Barrett M107		United States	M107A1	Anti materiel sniper rifle	12.7×99mm NATO	[3][5]
Machine guns
FN Minimi		Belgium	Minimi Para	Light machine gun	5.56×45mm NATO	Standard issue light machine gun.[1][2][3]
FN MAG Kulspruta 58		Belgium  Sweden	FN MAG Kulspruta 58 B	General-purpose machine gun	7.62×51mm NATO	[2][3]
M2 Browning		United States  Belgium	M2HB-QCB	Heavy machine gun	12.7×99mm NATO	[3][8]
Protocol service weapons
M14		United States		Battle rifle	7.62×51mm NATO	Used by Honour Guard, as ceremonial rifle.[9]
Lee-Enfield		United Kingdom	No.4 MkI*	Bolt action rifle	.303 British	120 rifles were donated by Canada. Used by Honour Guard, as ceremonial rifle.[10]
Grenade launchers
Heckler & Koch AG36		Germany		Under-barrel grenade launcher	40×46mm LV	[1][3]
Milkor MGL		South Africa  Croatia	Metallic RBG-6	Automatic grenade launcher	40×46mm LV	Produced initially without license by Metallic d.o.o.[3]
Heckler & Koch GMG		Germany		Automatic grenade launcher	40×53mm HV	[1][2][3] Complementary order in 2024[4]
Man-portable anti-tank systems
AT4		Sweden		Recoilless gun	84 mm	Light weight, one-shot, disposable.[2]
Carl Gustav recoilless rifle		Sweden	M2 M4	Recoilless rifle	84 mm	Re-loadable, fires a variety of ammunition. M2 variant used by the National Guard.[11] 800 Carl Gustaf M2 were donated by Norway.[12] Improved M4 variant on order.[13]
SPIKE		Israel	SR LR I LR II ER II	ATGM Anti-tank guided missile		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][14]

Military vehicles

Name	Image	Origin	Type	Variants	Quantity	Notes
Armoured fighting 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.[15][16]
ASCOD		Spain	Infantry fighting vehicle	ASCOD 2	TBD	In 2024, Latvian Ministry of Defense made a decision to acquire ASCOD to replace the CVR(T).[17]
Armoured vehicles
Patria 6×6		Finland  Latvia	Armoured personnel carrier	Patria 6×6	~256 (~100 delivered)	Over 200 vehicles on order, to be delivered 2021–2029.[18][19] The first 4 vehicles received on 29 October 2021. The vehicles are partially produced in Latvia since 2021.[20][21] In November 2024, 56 additional command vehicles were ordered.[22]
Humvee		United States	Armoured car	M1043A2 M1113	30 12	Ten vehicles donated by the United States in 2005.[23] Possibly 28 more purchased later.[24] Some equipped with HK GMG, M2 Browning and Spike anti-tank guided missile.^[citation needed]
Mercedes-Benz G-Class		Austria  Germany	Armored car (special forces)	290GD	50	[25][26] Second hand from Norway
Amphibious vehicles
Bv 206		Sweden	Tracked articulated vehicle (amphibious)	Bv 206A Bv 206F		Donated by Sweden in 2002 and 2003.[27]
Light vehicles
VR FOX		Latvia	Fast attack vehicle		1 (30+)	Latvian Armed Forces tested 1 VR FOX prototype and in November 2024 Latvian Ministry of Defense made a decision to acquire more than 30 VR FOX vehicles[28]
Polaris RZR		United States	Fast attack vehicle	MRZR-2 MRZR-4 MV850	62[29]	Option for up to 130 vehicles.[30]
Can-Am Outlander		Finland  Canada	All-terrain vehicle	Outlander MAX 650XT	582[31]	[32]
Logistics
Mercedes-Benz Unimog		Germany	Truck	U1300 U5000	120[33]
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.[25]
Engineering equipment
M3 Amphibious Rig		Germany	Amphibious bridge layer			2 delivered 2 still to be delivered .[34]
Utility vehicles
Mercedes-Benz G-Class		Austria  Germany	SUV	240GD 300GDN	+66[35] 12[12]	[25][36]
Land Rover Defender		United Kingdom	SUV	D110	2	D110 variant used by military police.[37]
Subaru Forester		Japan	SUV		23	23 vehicles used by military police [38]
Nissan Navara		Japan	SUV		~55	[38]
Peugeot 308		France	Car		~50	[38]
Ford Transit Custom		Germany  Belgium	Light commercial vehicle		~35	[38]

Indirect fire

Model	Image	Origin	Type	Caliber	Quantity	Details
Mortars
GrW 86		Austria	Heavy mortar	120 mm		Multiple units purchased from Austria in 2017.[39]
m/41D		Finland  Sweden	Heavy mortar	120 mm	20~	[40]
Self-propelled artillery
M109A5Ö		United States  Austria	Self-propelled howitzer	155 mm L/39	47	35 howitzers, 10 command and control vehicles and 2 driver training vehicles purchased from Austria in 2017.[41] Additional 18 howitzers received in 2021.[42] 6 howizers were donated to Ukraine.[43]
M109 Rechenstellenpanzer M109			Command and artillery computing station	–	10
M109 driver training			Driver training vehicle	–	2
Rocket artillery
M142 HIMARS		United States	MLRS	227 mm	0 (6 on order)	In October 2022, Latvian Ministry of Defense announced that the country will acquire 6 systems.[44] The contract was signed in December 2023.[45]

Unmanned aerial vehicles

Model	Image	Origin	Variant	Type	Role
UAV Factory Penguin C		Latvia	Penguin C	Fixed-wing UAV Unmanned aerial vehicle	ISR Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance	Long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles.[46]
AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma		United States	RQ-20A	Fixed-wing UAV Unmanned aerial vehicle	ISR Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance	3 systems, each having 3 unmanned aerial vehicles.[47]

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.[48]

Air defence

Model	Image	Origin	Variant	Type	Details
Short-range air-defence
FIM-92 Stinger		United States	FIM-92 Stinger	MANPAD Man-portable air-defence systems	[49] All to be transferred to Ukraine.[50]
PPZR Piorun		Poland		MANPAD Man-portable air-defence systems	Undisclosed number of missiles ordered in 2022.[51]
RBS-70		Sweden	RBS-70 NG	MANPAD Man-portable air-defence systems	[52]
Medium-range air defence
IRIS-T		Germany	IRIS-T SLM	Medium range air defence missile system	In May 2023, Estonia and Latvia made a decision to jointly procure medium-range IRIS-T SLM.[53] The contract was signed in November 2023 and the systems are planned to be operational in 2026.[54]
Radars
AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel		United States	AN/MPQ-64F1	3D air search radar	[55]
AN/TPS-77		United States	AN/TPS-77 TPS-77 MRR	3D air search radar	Used for the Baltic Air Surveillance Network[56]
Hensoldt TRML 4D		Germany		Air surveillance and target acquisition radar	Radar for the IRIS-T SML air defence system[57]
Saab Giraffe		Sweden		Early warning radar	[40]

Retired/obsolete equipment

In the 1990s, the Latvian Army and National Guard troops were equipped with leftover Soviet, Romanian and Czechoslovak[58] 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 Automatkarbin 4 began, but AK-pattern rifles remained. Today Ak4 rifles are mostly kept in storage.[59] In 1995, the Czechs donated 20 120mm mortars (possibly the vz. 82 PRAM-L) and 24 100 mm vz. 53 field guns.[58]

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);[60][61]
• 5 T-55AM Mérida tanks (donated by Poland in 1999.[62] Three remaining tanks, still used for training purposes, were reported to have come from the Czech Republic in 2000, not Poland.);[63][64]
• ~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).[64][61][65][66]

References

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