Weapons
The SADF used a mix of British, French, Israeli, captured Soviet and indigenously developed weaponry. Their allies, UNITA used a mix of Soviet and South African supplied weaponry. The United States covertly supplied UNITA guerillas with Stingers for anti-aircraft defense. The South Africans were hampered by United Nations Security Council Resolution 418, an international arms embargo that prevented them from acquiring materiel such as modern aircraft. The Cubans and FAPLA were armed with Soviet weaponry.
| Type | Angola (FAPLA), Cuba (FAR) | South Africa (SADF), UNITA |
|---|---|---|
| AFVs | T-34-85, T-54B, T-55, T-62, PT-76, SU-100 World War II vintage self-propelled guns were not used. | Olifant, Ratel IFV, Eland Mk7(AML-90) |
| APCs/IFVs | BTR-40, BTR-152, BTR-50, BTR-60PB, BRDM-2, BMP-1 and MT-LB (tracked light-armoured towing vehicle) | Buffel, Casspir |
| Artillery | ZIS-3 (76 mm), D-30 (122 mm), ML-20 (152 mm), D-1 (152 mm), M-46 (130 mm) BM-21 Grad (MLR) and BM-14 | G5 howitzer, G6 Self-Propelled Gun, Valkiri 127mm Multiple rocket launcher, Ordnance QF 25 pounder |
| Aircraft | MiG-23ML, MiG-21bis, MiG-23BM | Dassault Mirage F-1, Blackburn Buccaneer, Dassault Mirage III, English Electric Canberra, Impala, |
| Transport Aircraft | AN-26 AN-12, AN-22, IL-76 | C-130B Hercules and C-160Z Transall |
| Helicopters | Mi-8/Mi-17, Mi-24/Mi-35 | Super Frelon, Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma, Westland Wasp, Aérospatiale Alouette III, Atlas Oryx |
| Reconnaissance/observation | MiG-21R, Antonov An-30 | Bosbok, UAV's |
| AAW | 2K12 Kub/Kwadrat, 9K33 Osa-AK, S-125 Pechora, S-75 Dvina, ZSU-23-4 Shilka, ZU-23-2 Zeushka, Strela-2M, Strela-3, Strela-10, Igla, ZPU-4, ZPU-2, ZGU-1 | Cactus, Tigercat, Bofors 40 mm, Ystervark self-propelled 20 mm AA vehicles, FIM-92 Stinger (used by UNITA) |
| Infantry weapons and anti tank support | AK (AK-47), AKM, AKMS, RP/RPK, RPD, PK (PKM), DShK (DShkM), KPV (KPVT), HMG, 9K11 Malyutka, RPG-7], B-10 recoilless rifle, B-11 recoilless rifle | Heckler & Koch G3, R1, R4 assault rifle, FN MAG, M2 Browning, M40 recoilless rifle, RPG-7, ENTAC, MILAN and ZT-3 anti-tank guided missile |
| Air-to-Air Missiles | K-13, R-60 | Matra 530, V3B |
Trucks used by FAPLA Engesa-15, Engesa-25, Engesa-50 (Brazilian) Mercedes (West Germany) Pegaso (Spain) IFAW50 (GDR) GAZ-66, ZIL-131, URAL-375/URAL-4320 GAZ-51 and GAZ-63 (were used by Cubans outside Cuito) KAMAZ and ZIL-130 (civil trucks): ZIL-157 (all were used outside Cuito)
Jeeps UAZ-469 UAZ-69 (GAZ-69) (used by Cubans outside Cuito) Niva Land Rover 109 Land Rover 110 Land Rover Defender
Miniubuses RAF-2203 and UAZ-452
Pistols Walther P38 TT-33 (TT) MP (Makarov) APS (Stechkin) Beretta 92
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Cuito Cuanavale
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