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Belarusian defense industry and military power of the Belarus armed forces TASS 11002161

Armies in the world - Belarus Armed Forces

Belarusian defense industry and military power of the Belarus armed forces.

The Republic of Belarus is lucky in the sphere of military build. It inherited from the Soviet Union one of the best military districts located on the main Western strategic direction. It was a second-tier echelon of the forces deployed in Warsaw Pact countries (East Germany and Poland). Belarus also got a number of military-defense enterprises that produced complex electronic systems, in particular.

Belarusian army T-72BV main batle tanks drive during a parade marking Independence Day in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, July 3, 2011. (Sergei Grits)

Belarus does not have such costly and complex arms of the armed forces as Strategic missile forces (it handed over 81 Topol intercontinental ballistic missiles to Russia yet in the 1980s) and the Navy. The republic has a small territory without extreme climatic conditions. No mountains, deserts or tundra. All this simplified and made the military build less expensive.

Deputy Director of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis Alexander Khramchikhin believes Belarus created an armed force which was the best in the CIS in many parameters for a long time. Despite limited financial possibilities its army had a high combat capability and morale of the servicemen who enjoyed major social benefits. The armed forces underwent structural reforms and received two strategic commands (Western and Northwestern), as well as territorial troops which protect and defend important objects from airborne assault of the adversary, subversions and terrorist attacks. Ground forces switched to brigade structure which better fits a small country and the corps were abandoned after the commands were set up. However with such a territory and common directions of potential threats the creation of two strategic commands looks excessive. No wonder they have already been abolished in the Air Force.

As it was mentioned above the ground forces comprise brigades and have separate regiments. Mechanized brigades: 6th in Grodno, 11th in Slonim, 120th in Minsk. Mobile airborne assault brigades: 38th in Brest and 103rd in Polotsk. Special forces brigade: 5th in Maryina Gorka. The mobile brigades and the special force brigade comprise the command of the ground forces.

Belarus army 2S19 152mm self-propelled howitzer during a parade marking Independence Day in Minsk, Belarus

Missile brigade: 465th in Osipovichi. Artillery brigades: 111th in Brest and 231st in Borovka. Air defense brigade: 336th in Osipovichi. Anti-aircraft brigades: 62nd in Grodno and 740th in Borisov.

Communication brigades: 82nd and 127th in Kolodishchi, Minsk. Engineering brigades: 2nd in Sosny, 188th in Mogilev, and 557th in Grodno.

Artillery regiment:1199th in Brest. Communication regiments: 60th in Borisov and 74th in Grodno. Radio-technical regiments: 215, 255th OSNAZ in Novogrudsk.

The armed forces have nearly a hundred missile launchers, including 36 relatively new Tochka-U and 60 outdated R-17. The fleet of tanks comprises 1356 T-72. Other armor includes close to 1600 infantry fighting vehicles (154 BMD-1, 26 BMP-1, 161 BRM-1, 1150 BMP-2) and over 600 armored personnel carriers (181 BTR-80, 374 BTR-70, 22 BTR-D and 66 MTLB).

The artillery force has over 600 self-propelled guns (54 2S9, 260 2S1, 163 2S3, 120 2S5, 13 2S19, 24 2S7), 252 towed pieces (66 D-30, 50 2A36, 136 2A65), 77 mortars 2S12, 316 salvo fire systems (201 BM-21, 75 Uragan and 40 Smerch).

There are also anti-tank complexes Fagot and Konkurs (including 126 self-propelled), 110 Shturm-S and 40 Metis.

The air defense is armed with 12 Tor-M2 complexes, not less than 80 Osa, close to 200 Strela-10, at least 63 Igla, 250 Strela-2, and 48 ZSU-23-4 Shilka.

Belarus army TOR-M2 air defense missile system during a parade marking Independence Day in Minsk, Belarus