List of equipment of the Somali Armed Forces

The following is a list of active equipment of the Somali Armed Forces. Retired equipment is listed at the bottom.

Small arms

Name	Image	Caliber	Type	Origin	Notes
Rifles
AKM [1]		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Soviet Union
AK-74		5.45×39mm	Assault rifle	Soviet Union	Used by National Intelligence and Security Agency special forces Gaashaan and Waran, [2] and Danab commandos. [3]
AK-74M		5.45×39mm	Assault rifle	Russia	Used by NISA special forces Gaashaan and Waran, [4] and Danab commandos. [5]
Vz. 58 [6]		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
PM md. 63		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Socialist Republic of Romania
AK-63 [7]		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Hungarian People's Republic
Zastava M70		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Yugoslavia
Type 56 [8]		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	China
MG3		7.62×51mm	General purpose machine gun	Turkey	[9]
MPT-76		7.62×51mm	Battle rifle	Turkey	450 delivered. [10]
M16 [11]		5.56×45mm	Assault rifle	United States
M4A1		5.56×45mm	Carbine Assault rifle	United States	Used by Special Forces.[ citation needed ]
Heckler & Koch G3		7.62×51mm	Battle rifle	West Germany	Used by the Danab Brigade and the "Gorgor" Brigade, also used by Camp TURKSOM NCOs and officer cadets. [12] [13]
SKS-45 Simonov		7.62×39mm	Semi-automatic rifle	Soviet Union	Used for ceremonial purposes by the Presidential Guard.[ citation needed ]
Sniper rifles
SVD [14]		7.62×54mmR	Designated marksman rifle Sniper rifle	Soviet Union
Machine guns
RP-46 [15]		7.62×54mmR	Light machine gun	Soviet Union
SG-43 [16]		7.62×54mmR	Medium machine gun	Soviet Union
Browning M1919 [16]		7.62×51mm	Medium machine gun	United States
KPV		14.5×114mm	Heavy machine gun	Soviet Union
DShK [17]		12.7×108mm	Heavy machine gun	Soviet Union
RPD [15]		7.62×39mm	Squad automatic weapon	Soviet Union
PKM [1]		7.62×54mmR	General-purpose machine gun	Soviet Union
Zastava M84 [18]		7.62×54mmR	General-purpose machine gun	Yugoslavia
Rocket propelled grenade launchers
RPG-2 [16]		40mm	Rocket-propelled grenade	Soviet Union
RPG-7 [1]		40mm	Rocket-propelled grenade	Soviet Union
Grenade launchers
AGS-17 [ citation needed ]		30×29mm	Grenade launcher	Soviet Union

Among pistols formerly reported in service in 2009 were the Soviet Makarov pistol. ^[15]

Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
Casspir		MRAP	South Africa	9 [19]	In Service
BMC Kirpi		MRAP	Turkey	24 [20]	In Service
BMC Kirpi II		MRAP	Turkey	N/A [21]	In Service
Streit Tornado		MRAP/APC	United Arab Emirates	N/A	In Service	Seen in military convoy. [22]

Armoured personnel carriers

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
AT105 Saxon [19]		Armored personnel carrier	United Kingdom	50 [23]	In Service	Donated second hand by Djibouti April 2013.
Iveco VM 90 [19]		Armored personnel carrier	Italy	N/A	In Service	Donated by Italy.
RG-31 Nyala [19]		Infantry mobility vehicle	South Africa	N/A	In Service
Streit Spartan		Armoured personnel carrier	United Arab Emirates	N/A	In Service	Seen in military convoy. [22]

Utility vehicles

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
Toyota Land Cruiser		Utility vehicle	Japan	10 [24]	In Service	Donated by Turkey.
Mitsubishi Triton		Utility vehicle	Japan	26+ [25]	In Service	Donated by Turkey.
Trucks
M939 [26]		Utility truck	United States	Unknown	In Service
BMC 245-16P 4x4		Utility truck	Turkey	14 [27]	In Service	Donated by Turkey.
Iveco 4x4		Utility truck	Italy	3+ [28]	In Service	Donated by Turkey.

In May 2020, the Somalia's Security Sector Reform twitter account posted a number of pictures of Japanese Toyota 4Runner which had been used to promote COVID-19 awareness. ^{[29] [30]}

Aircraft

In 2024, Italy supplied Somalia with four Bell 412 utility helicopters, "marking the most significant delivery of military equipment since the lifting of the arms embargo imposed on Somalia". ^{[31] [32]} The United Nations Support Office for Somalia has supported the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia to acquire three helicopters from Burundi. ^[33]

In addition to aircraft operated by the Somali Armed Forces, the National Intelligence and Security Agency operates Bayraktar TB2 drones. ^{[34] [35]}

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
Unmanned aerial vehicles
Serçe-1		Multi-Rotor Drone System	Turkey	N/A	In Service	[36]
Bayraktar Akinci		UCAV	Turkey	2	In Service	[37] [38]
Helicopters
Bell 412		Utility helicopter	United States Canada	6	In Service	Includes 1 Bell-412SP and 1 Agusta-Bell 412 variants [39]
TAI T129 ATAK		Attack helicopter	Turkey	6	In Service	Three delivered in March 2025 and three more in June 2025 as part of Somalia’s close air support modernization. [40] [41]

Boats

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
ONUK MRTP 16		Patrol boat	Turkey	Unknown	In Service
Grand RIB		Rigid inflatable boat	Ukraine	Unknown	In Service

Individual Equipment

Model	Origin	Image	Type	Notes
Helmets
FAST	United States Turkey		Combat helmet	Utilised by Commando Brigade, donated from Turkey.
Camouflage Patterns
Desert Battle Dress Uniform	United States Somalia		Camouflage pattern	Bought from the U.S. in the 1980s.[ citation needed ]

Retired equipment

A T-55, one of several SNA tanks

Abandoned Somali M47 Patton tanks in Mogadishu, discovered by U.S. Army troops on 1 December 1993

Among firearms associated with the Somali National Army and reported by Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/10 were Soviet TT pistols, British Sterling submachine guns; German Heckler & Koch G3 and Belgian FN FAL assault rifles, U.S. M14 rifles, Soviet RPD machine guns; Soviet RPK machine guns; Soviet RP-46 machine guns; French AA-52 machine guns; Belgian FN MAG machine guns; Soviet DShK heavy machine guns; U.S. M2 Browning .50 cal heavy machine guns; and U.S. M79 grenade launchers and Soviet RPG-2 grenade launchers. ^[15]

After independence, the Somali National Army initially inherited five Comet tanks, six Ferret armoured cars and eighteen Universal Carrier machine-gun carriers from withdrawing British forces. ^[42]

Previous arms acquisitions included the following equipment, much of which was unserviceable circa June 1989: ^[43] 293 main battle tanks (30 Centurions; 123 M47 Patton, 30 T-34, 110 T-54/55 from various sources). Christopher F. Foss, writing in the second edition of Jane's Main Battle Tanks said that 'Kuwait was believed to have supplied Somalia with about 35 Centurions.' ^[44] The Military Balance 1987–88 (p. 112) listed 30 Centurions held by the Somali Army.

Other armoured fighting vehicles included 10 M41 Walker Bulldog light tanks, 30 BRDM-2 and 15 Panhard AML-90 armored cars (formerly owned by Saudi Arabia). The IISS estimated in 1989 that there were 474 armoured personnel carriers, including 64 BTR-40/BTR-50/BTR-60, 100 BTR-152 wheeled armored personnel carriers, 310 Fiat 6614 and 6616s, and that BMR-600s had been reported. SIPRI also reported BTR-70s had been sold to Somalia. ^[45] The IISS estimated that there were 210 towed artillery pieces (8 M-1944 100 mm, 100 M-56 105 mm, 84 M-1938 122 mm, and 18 M198 155 mm towed howitzers). Other equipment reported by the IISS included 82 mm and 120 mm mortars, 100 Milan and BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles, rocket launchers, recoilless rifles, and a variety of Soviet air defence guns of 20 mm, 23 mm, 37 mm, 40 mm, 57 mm, and 100 mm calibre. SIPRI also reported that 9K32 Strela-2 air defence missiles had been transferred. ^[45]

In addition, U.S. M151 trucks had been sold to Somalia by December 1987. ^[46]

IISS Military Balance 2022 lists only armoured personnel carriers and utility vehicles.

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
BRDM-2		Amphibious armored scout car	Soviet Union	Unknown	Retired
ZU-23-2 [19]		Autocannon	Soviet Union	Unknown	Retired

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
Rocket artillery
BM-21 Grad [47]		Multiple rocket launcher	Soviet Union	Unknown	Retired

References

1. AfricaNews (9 May 2017). "Several soldiers killed in al Shabaab attack on Somali army base – Africanews". africanews.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
2. NISA (23 January 2016). "HSNQ_NISA Director General with his Elite Gaashaan & Waran, We will defend our ppl, #TweetLiidoPicturespic.twitter.com/MsZeyfukIX". @HSNQ_NISA. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
3. TP 🤟🏻 (24 March 2018). "Somali Army SOF operators #DANABpic.twitter.com/QphsTHOC1O". @tacticalporn. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
4. NISA (23 January 2016). "HSNQ_NISA Director General with his Elite Gaashaan & Waran, We will defend our ppl, #TweetLiidoPicturespic.twitter.com/MsZeyfukIX". @HSNQ_NISA. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
5. TP 🤟🏻 (24 March 2018). "Somali Army SOF operators #DANABpic.twitter.com/QphsTHOC1O". @tacticalporn. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
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28. Oryx. "From Türkiye With Love: Tracking Turkish Military Donations". Oryx. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
29. Reform, Somalia's Security Sector (10 May 2020). ".@SNAForce continued the #COVIDー19 awareness in several districts in Mogadishu, including Cabdicasiis, Shangaani, Xamar Weyne, Xamar Jajab, Dharkeynley, and Wadajir. #SNACovid19Awareness #CXDSpic.twitter.com/SfxKfDBNVR". @SomaliaSSR. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
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40. Fretay, Halna du. "Somalia Receives Turkish-Made T129 ATAK Attack Helicopter to Face Insurgent Threats". armyrecognition.com. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
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42. Robinson, Colin D. "Glimpse into an army at its peak: notes on the Somali National Army in the 1960–80s" Oct. 23, 2019 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14751798.2019.1675944
43. IISS 1989, p. 113.
44. Foss, Christopher (1986). Jane's Main Battle Tanks. London, UK/New York City: Jane's. p. 186. ISBN   0-7106-0372-X.
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47. Military Balance 2016, p. 466.

Bibliography

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• Small Arms Survey (2012). "Surveying the Battlefield: Illicit Arms In Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia". Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-19714-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.