# 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.

## History

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). In 1994, 30 percent of the officer corps were ethnic Russians. The first commander was General Valentin Luk'yanov [ru], an ethnic Ukrainian. In Russian sources Luk'yanov is listed as the commander of the 8th Guards Motor Rifle Division from 1985-91.
On January 25, 2017, President Almazbek Atambayev officially founded the Kyrgyz Army, with Colonel Erlis Terdikbayev acting as its first commander.

## Structure

Ground forces are divided into 2 military commands, the Northern and Southern Groups of Forces.

### 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)
* Armored Battalion (Ala-Buka District)
* Machine Gun and Artillery Battalion
* Mountain Rifle Battalion "Batken"
* 24th Independent "Ilbirs" (Snow Leopard) Special Purpose Brigade (Kök-Janggak)
* Reconnaissance Battalion
* anti-aircraft artillery regiment
* parts and subdivisions of support, chemical protection, etc.

## Equipment

Small arms
| Name | Origin | Caliber | 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 | |
| AKM | Soviet Union | 7.62×39mm | |
| AK-74 | Soviet Union | 5.45×39mm | |
| AN-94 | Russian Federation | 5.45×39mm | 60 donated by Russia in 2012 |
| QBZ-95 | China | 5.8×42mm DBP87 | |
| M4 Carbine | United States | 5.56x45mm NATO | |
| Designated marksman rifles |||||
| SVD Dragunov | Soviet Union | 7.62×54mmR | |
| MKEK JNG-90 | Turkey | 7.62×51mm | |
| Machine guns |||||
| RPK | Soviet Union | 7.62×39mm | |
| RPK-74 | Soviet Union | 5.45×39mm | |
| PK machine gun | Soviet Union | 7.62×54mmR | |
| NSV | Soviet Union | 12.7×108mm | |
| Rocket Launchers |||||
| HAR-66 | Turkey | | |

### Armor

| Name | Origin | Type | In service | Notes |
| Tanks |||||
| T-72 | Soviet Union | Main battle tank | 215 | At least one lost in the 2022 Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan clashes. |
| Armoured reconnaissance vehicle |||||
| BRDM-2 | Soviet Union | Reconnaissance vehicle | 30 | |
| BRDM-2MS | Soviet Union | Reconnaissance vehicle | 9 | |
| Infantry fighting vehicles |||||
| BMP-1 | Soviet Union | Infantry fighting vehicle | 230 | All modernized. |
| BMP-2 | Soviet Union | Infantry fighting vehicle | 90 | All modernized. |
| Armoured personnel carrier |||||
| BTR-80 | Soviet Union | Amphibious armoured personnel carrier | 10 | |
| BTR-70 | Soviet Union | Amphibious armoured personnel carrier | 45 | 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. At least one was lost in the 2022 Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan clashes. |
| Tigr | Russia | Infantry mobility vehicle | Up to 100 | 55 vehicles purchased recently, and 50 vehicles donated from Russia in 2018. Others all purchased during previous years. |
| Toyota | Japan | Infantry mobility vehicle | 40 | Announced on 23 October 2021. |
| Towed artillery |||||
| D-30 | Soviet Union | 122mm howitzer | 72 | 35 are the M-30 standard. |
| M-30(M-1938) | Soviet Union | 122mm howitzer | 35 | |
| D-1 | Soviet Union | 152mm howitzer | 16 | |
| 2A65 MSTA-B | Soviet Union | 152mm howitzer | N/A | |
| BS-3 | Soviet Union | 100mm field gun | 18 | |
| T-12 | Soviet Union | 100mm Field gun | 18 | 100mm round |
| Self-propelled artillery |||||
| 2S1 Gvozdika | Soviet Union | 122mm Self-propelled howitzer | 18 | |
| 2S9 Nona | Soviet Union | 120mm Self-propelled mortar | 12 | |
| Anti-tank weapons |||||
| 9M14 Malyutka | Soviet Union | Anti-tank missile | 26 | |
| 9M113 Konkurs | Soviet Union | Anti-tank missile | 12 | |
| 9K111 Fagot | Soviet Union | Anti-tank weapon | 24 | |
| Anti aircraft guns and Air defense system |||||
| S-300 | Soviet Union / Russia | Long-range surface-to-air missile system | N/A | 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. |
| ZU-23-2 | Soviet Union | Anti-aircraft autocannon | N/A | |
| 9K35 Strela-10 | Soviet Union | VM surface-to-air missile system | 4 | |
| 9K32 Strela-2 | Soviet Union | VM surface-to-air-missile system | N/A | |
| ZSU-23-4 Shilka | Soviet Union | Self-propelled anti aircraft gun | 24 | |
| Flying Leopard 6C | China | Short-range surface-to-air missile system | N/A | 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. |
| AZP S-60 | Soviet Union | Anti-aircraft gun | 24 | |
| 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. |
| Multiple rocket launchers |||||
| BM-21 Grad | Soviet Union | Multiple rocket launcher | 15 | |
| BM-27 Uragan | Soviet Union | Multiple rocket launcher | 6 | |
| Utility vehicles |||||
| Ford Ranger | United States | Pickup truck-attacking defender | 45 | Showed the 30th anniversary of the country's independence at the parade. |
| Polaris | United States | Quad | 44 | |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| KamAZ-53215 | 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. |
| KamAZ-5350KamAZ-4350 | Russia | Freight carrier | N/A | Some of them is taken for free from Russia, others all purchased. |
| Shaanxi SX2190 | China | Off-road vehicle | N/A | |