Artillery Assets Of Belarus: A Comprehensive Overview

Belarus's military forces are almost exclusively armed with Soviet-era equipment inherited from the Soviet Union. While the number of weapons is large, some Western experts consider them outdated. Military Balance reports that Belarus has 583 towed Msta-B howitzers and some old self-propelled Gvozdika and Akatsiya artillery pieces. Belarus also has six new Polonez 300-millimetre rocket artillery systems that were produced domestically and are capable of launching high-precision missiles with a maximum firing range of 200 kilometres.

Belarus has 369 self-propelled artillery units

Belarus's arsenal includes 583 towed Msta-B howitzers and some older self-propelled Gvozdika and Akatsiya artillery pieces. In addition to its stock of Soviet-era weapons, Belarus has also developed six new Polonez 300mm rocket artillery systems, which are domestically produced and capable of launching high-precision missiles with a maximum firing range of 200 kilometres.

The Belarusian military's primary role is to serve as a tool of internal repression for the country's autocratic leader, Alexander Lukashenko. The ground forces, which constitute the largest structure within the military, typically only have 10,000-15,000 troops available for day-to-day service in peacetime, with the rest needing to be called up in the event of a conflict. The country also maintains a military reserve of around 290,000 people.

Belarus's armed forces consist of the Ground Forces, the Air Force, and the Air Defence Forces, all under the command of the Ministry of Defence. The country has no navy, as it is landlocked, but it does control some small Soviet-inherited naval vessels that are stationed on its rivers and lakes.

It has 170 towed artillery units

Belarus has 170 towed artillery units. This is part of the country's stock of 6,700 vehicles, which also includes 517 tanks, 369 self-propelled artillery units, and 206 multiple rocket launchers.

The Belarusian military is almost exclusively armed with Soviet-era equipment inherited from the Soviet Union. Although large in numbers, some Western experts consider this equipment outdated. The country's armed forces consist of the Ground Forces and the Air Force and Air Defence Forces, all under the command of the Ministry of Defence.

In 2024, Belarus was ranked 64th out of 145 countries in the Global Firepower review, which assesses nations on their power index score, which takes into account factors such as manpower, airpower, land power, naval power, and financials. Belarus scored 1.0901, with a score of 0.0000 being considered perfect.

The Belarusian Ground Forces were founded on March 20, 1992, the same day the Defence Ministry of Belarus was established. By 1994, the ground forces had over 50,000 troops, most of whom were former soldiers of the Soviet Army's Belorussian Military District. The army equipment at that time included 79 T-54s, 639 T-55s, 291 T-62s, 299 T-64s, 8 T-80s, and 1,800 T-72s.

In December 2001, the Ground Forces underwent a major reorganization that produced two operational-territorial commands similar to Russia's military districts: the Western Operational Command at Grodno and the North Western Operational Command at Barysaw. The Ground Forces headquarters was abolished during a reorganization in 2011 and replaced by combat training and territorial defense directorates, further confirming the Belarusian Ground Forces' integration into the Russian military command structure.

The Belarusian military still holds many Soviet military laws and considers high numbers of reserve personnel a high priority. Most soldiers are conscripts serving for a period of 18 months, although there is an alternative service option.

The country's artillery is mostly inherited from the Soviet Union

Belarus' military forces are almost exclusively armed with Soviet-era equipment inherited from the Soviet Union. Although large in numbers, some Western experts consider this equipment outdated.

The country's artillery includes 583 towed Msta-B howitzers and some old self-propelled Gvozdika and Akatsiya artillery pieces. Belarus also has six new Polonez 300-millimetre rocket artillery systems that were produced domestically. These domestically-made systems are capable of launching high-precision missiles with a maximum firing range of 200 kilometres.

In addition to artillery, Belarus' military equipment includes T-54, T-55, T-62, T-64, T-72, and T-80 tanks, MiG-29 fighters, Su-25 attack aircraft, Mi-8, Mi-24, and Mi-2 helicopters, and S-300 and S-400 air defence systems.

The Belarusian military consists of the Ground Forces, the Air Force, and the Air Defence Forces, all under the command of the Ministry of Defence. The country's Ground Forces are the largest structure in the military but only a fraction of its personnel are immediately available, with around 10,000-15,000 troops serving in peacetime. The Belarusian Air Force consists of two commands, the Western Operational-Tactical Command and the North-Western Operational-Tactical Command.

Belarus has six new Polonez 300-millimetre rocket artillery systems

The Polonez is a modular system that can fire pods with rockets of different calibres. It carries two pods, each with four 300 mm rockets, and has a range of fire of up to 200 km. The rockets are accurate to within 30 to 50 meters and there are three different warheads. The system is designed to be highly mobile and can be operated remotely. It is well-suited for shoot-and-scoot missions and can be prepared for launch within a couple of minutes.

The Polonez-M is an upgraded version of the Polonez that entered service in May 2019. It has an increased range of 290 km, a higher share of domestic components, and can fire the improved A-300 missile. In addition to the Polonez systems, Belarus also operates the BM-21A BelGrad 122 mm artillery rocket system, which is currently being upgraded to the BM-21B "BelGrad 2" standard.

The Belarusian military still relies heavily on Soviet-era equipment inherited from the Soviet Union, and while the numbers are large, some Western experts consider the technology to be outdated.

The country's artillery includes 583 towed Msta-B howitzers

Belarus' military forces are almost exclusively armed with Soviet-era equipment inherited from the Soviet Union. Although large in numbers, some Western experts consider this weaponry outdated.

The Belarusian military has an estimated 48,000 to 63,000 active-duty personnel. The majority of these are paramilitary forces intended for internal policing and the suppression of dissent. The country's ground forces were founded on 20 March 1992, the same day the Defence Ministry of Belarus was established. By 1994, the ground forces had over 50,000 troops, most of whom were former soldiers of the Soviet Army's Belorussian Military District.

In addition to artillery, Belarus is reported to have 1,200 tanks, with 800 in reserve. Most of these are Soviet Т-72Bs, but the country also has Russian T-72, T-62, and T-55 tanks. The level of their combat readiness is unknown.

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