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List of equipment of the Latvian Land Forces

This is a list of weapons and equipment used by the Latvian Land Forces. For naval equipment and ships, see Latvian Naval Forces; for the list of aircraft, see Latvian Air Force. The Latvian National Guard equipment and vehicles are listed in the respective article.

Latvia uses military equipment compatible with the NATO standards.

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
  • Gas masks (14 000 ordered from UK in 2019). Avon FM50 gas masks acquired in 2022.

Infantry weapons

Military vehicles

Indirect fire

Unmanned aerial vehicles

Anti-ship weapons

Air defence

Retired/obsolete equipment

1918–1940

During the Latvian War of Independence, the armed formations of the Republic of Latvia (which were united into the Latvian Army in July 1919) used a wide range of surplus weapons acquired from Russian, German and other stocks. Substantial support was offered by British, French and other forces. The main infantry rifle after the war was the Pattern 1914 Enfield (P14).

1991–present

In the 1990s, the Latvian Army and National Guard troops were equipped with leftover Soviet, Romanian and Czechoslovak 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. In 1995, the Czechs donated 20 120mm mortars (possibly the 120-PM-43 mortar) and 24 100 mm vz. 53 field guns. According to Military Balance 2025, the 100 mm vz. 53 guns are still in storage in Latvia. Around 2002, the armed forces also reportedly had M60 machine guns in stock.

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);
  • 5 T-55AM2 Mérida tanks (donated by Poland in 1999). Three remaining tanks, still used for training purposes as of 2024, were reported to have come from the Czech Republic in 2000, not Poland;
  • ~12 Terrängbil m/42 KP APCs (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);
  • 17+ Volkswagen Iltis utility vehicles (received from Germany), CUCV Chevrolet M1008 and M1009 (from Denmark) and Dodge variants (from the United States) – received before 2004, most retired at least since 2019;
  • Volvo Viking L385 and L4855 trucks (donated by Sweden in the 1990s, retired at least since 2019);
  • 178D15 and Iveco-Magirus 90M6FL trucks (donated by Denmark in late 1994–late 90s);
  • GAZ-53 and GAZ SAZ-3507 trucks;
  • Willys M38A1 (donated by Denmark to the Baltic states in late 1994) and UAZ-469 jeeps;
  • Volvo TGB 211A and TGB 131.

References