Kyrgyz Army

The Kyrgyz Ground Forces, or simply the Kyrgyz Army, is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyz Ground Forces
Кыргызстандын Кургактагы Аскерлер
Uniform sleeve patch of the Kyrgyz Armed Forces
Founded	25 January 2017
Country	Kyrgyzstan
Type	Army
Part of	Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic
Headquarters	Bishkek
Colors	Red and Yellow
March	"Kyz kuumai" («Кыз куумай»)
Commanders
Commander-in-chief	Sadyr Japarov
Commander of the Army	Colonel Almazbek Karasartov
Insignia
Military Ensign (Kyrgyz, obverse)
Military Ensign (Russian, reverse)

History

The parade contingent from the Panfilov Division during the 2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade on Red Square in 2010.

In April 1992, Kyrgyzstan formed a State Committee for Defense Affairs, and in June the republic took control of all troops on its soil (meaning remaining units of the stationed in Kyrgyzstan).^[1] In 1994, 30 percent of the officer corps were ethnic Russians.^[2] The first commander was General Valentin Luk'yanov [ru], an ethnic Ukrainian.^[3] In Russian sources Luk'yanov is listed as the commander of the 8th Guards Motor Rifle Division from 1985-91.^[4]

On January 25, 2017, President Almazbek Atambayev officially founded the Kyrgyz Army, with Colonel Erlis Terdikbayev acting as its first commander.^[5]

Structure

Ground forces are divided into 2 military commands, the Northern and Southern Groups of Forces.^[6][7]

Northern Group of Forces

• 8th Guards Motor Rifle Panfilov Division (Tokmok)
• 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Frunze Brigade (Koy-Tash)
• Independent Tank Regiment
• Machine Gun Battalions (Karakol)
• Artillery Battalions (Naryn)
• Engineering Battalion
• Signals Battalion
• Scorpion 25th Special Forces Brigade (Tokmok)
• Artillery Brigade
• Balykchynsky Brigade
• Specialized units

Southern Group of Forces

• 68th Independent Mountain Rifle Brigade (Osh)^[8]
• Armored Battalion (Ala-Buka District)
• Machine Gun and Artillery Battalion
• Mountain Rifle Battalion "Batken"^[8]
• 24th Independent "Ilbirs" (Snow Leopard) Special Purpose Brigade (Kök-Janggak)^{[9][10][11][12]}
• Reconnaissance Battalion
• anti-aircraft artillery regiment
• parts and subdivisions of support, chemical protection, etc.

Equipment

Small arms

Name	Origin	Caliber	Image	Notes
Pistols
Makarov	Soviet Union	9×18mm Makarov
Stechkin	Soviet Union	9×18mm Makarov
Rifles and carbines
SKS	Soviet Union	7.62×39mm		Ceremonial usage
AKS-74U	Soviet Union	5.45×39mm		Standard carbine
Assault rifles
AK-47	Soviet Union	7.62×39mm		[13]
AKM	Soviet Union	7.62×39mm		[14]
AK-74	Soviet Union	5.45×39mm
AN-94	Russian Federation	5.45×39mm		60 donated by Russia in 2012[15]
QBZ-95	China	5.8×42mm DBP87		[16]
M4 Carbine	United States	5.56x45mm NATO
Designated marksman rifles
SVD Dragunov	Soviet Union	7.62×54mmR		[17]
MKEK JNG-90	Turkey	7.62×51mm		[18]
Machine guns
RPK	Soviet Union	7.62×39mm
RPK-74	Soviet Union	5.45×39mm
PK machine gun	Soviet Union	7.62×54mmR		[19]
NSV	Soviet Union	12.7×108mm
Rocket Launchers
HAR-66	Turkey			[20]

Armor

Name	Origin	Type	In service	Notes
Tanks
T-72	Soviet Union	Main battle tank	215[21]	At least one lost in the 2022 Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan clashes.[citation needed]
Armoured reconnaissance vehicle
BRDM-2	Soviet Union	Reconnaissance vehicle	30[21]
BRDM-2MS	Soviet Union	Reconnaissance vehicle	9[21]
Infantry fighting vehicles
BMP-1	Soviet Union	Infantry fighting vehicle	230[21]	All modernized.[citation needed]
BMP-2	Soviet Union	Infantry fighting vehicle	90[21]	All modernized.[citation needed]
Armoured personnel carrier
BTR-80	Soviet Union	Amphibious armoured personnel carrier	10[21]
BTR-70	Soviet Union	Amphibious armoured personnel carrier	45[21]	BTR-70 & BTR-70M
Humvee	United States	Light armoured car	50
Dongfeng EQ2050	China	Military light utility vehicle	Up to 65	Showed the 30th anniversary of the country's independence at the parade.[citation needed] At least one was lost in the 2022 Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan clashes.[22]
Tigr	Russia	Infantry mobility vehicle	Up to 100[23]	55 vehicles purchased recently, and 50 vehicles donated from Russia in 2018. Others all purchased during previous years.[24]
Toyota[25]	Japan	Infantry mobility vehicle	40	Announced on 23 October 2021.[26]
Towed artillery
D-30	Soviet Union	122mm howitzer	72[21]	35 are the M-30 standard.[citation needed]
M-30(M-1938)	Soviet Union	122mm howitzer	35[21]
D-1	Soviet Union	152mm howitzer	16[21]
2A65 MSTA-B	Soviet Union	152mm howitzer	N/A
BS-3	Soviet Union	100mm field gun	18[21]
T-12	Soviet Union	100mm Field gun	18[21]	100mm round
Self-propelled artillery
2S1 Gvozdika	Soviet Union	122mm Self-propelled howitzer	18[21]
2S9 Nona	Soviet Union	120mm Self-propelled mortar	12[27]
Anti-tank weapons
9M14 Malyutka	Soviet Union	Anti-tank missile	26[28]
9M113 Konkurs	Soviet Union	Anti-tank missile	12[28]
9K111 Fagot	Soviet Union	Anti-tank weapon	24[28]
Anti aircraft guns and Air defense system
S-300	Soviet Union /  Russia	Long-range surface-to-air missile system	N/A[29]	Russia and Kyrgyzstan signed an inter-governmental agreement on cooperation in military-technical field, by which Russia must ship $1 billion worth of modern weapons to the republic.[30]
ZU-23-2	Soviet Union	Anti-aircraft autocannon	N/A
9K35 Strela-10	Soviet Union	VM surface-to-air missile system	4[31]
9K32 Strela-2	Soviet Union	VM surface-to-air-missile system	N/A[21]
ZSU-23-4 Shilka	Soviet Union	Self-propelled anti aircraft gun	24[28]
Flying Leopard 6C[32]	China	Short-range surface-to-air missile system	N/A[33]	Leopard 6C short-range air defense system was seen during the exercises of the Kyrgyz army in the Bujum training field in Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan in September 2020. It's capable to shot down by 500–600 km.[citation needed]
AZP S-60	Soviet Union	Anti-aircraft gun	24[28]
Ballistic missiles
Iskander-M	Russia	Short-range ballistic missile	N/A	Russia sent Iskander-M ballistic missile to Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan in 2018 to Kyrgyz military's drill.[34]
Multiple rocket launchers
BM-21 Grad	Soviet Union	Multiple rocket launcher	15[35]
BM-27 Uragan	Soviet Union	Multiple rocket launcher	6[35]
Utility vehicles
Ford Ranger	United States	Pickup truck-attacking defender	45[36]	Showed the 30th anniversary of the country's independence at the parade.[citation needed]
Polaris	United States	Quad	44[36]
Toyota Hilux	Japan	Pick up truck	45
UAZ Hunter	Soviet Union /  Russia	Pick up truck	Up to 140	Supported by Russia as military gift which presented on 15 January 2019.[citation needed]
KamazAZ-43114	Russia	Pick up truck	N/A	Only small amount taken from Russia as a gift which 15 January 2019. Others all purchased from Russia and other post-soviet countries.[37]
KamAZ-53215[38]	Russia	Freight carrier	N/A	Only small amount taken from Russia as a gift which 15 January 2019. Others all purchased from Russia and other post-soviet countries.[37]
KamAZ-5350KamAZ-4350	Russia	Freight carrier	N/A	Some of them is taken for free from Russia, others all purchased.[citation needed]
Shaanxi SX2190	China	Off-road vehicle	N/A[citation needed]