Armoured vehicles of the Cypriot National Guard The Cypriot National Guard employs several armoured vehicle s in its operations . History of Cypriot Armored Warfare . 1964 - 1974 . In August 1964 , the Cypriot National Guard , under the leadership of Brig . General Georgios Grivas , engaged an armed Turkish Cypriot militia in heavy fighting at the Battle of Tylliria . During this time , the Cypriot National Guard possessed around 40 ex - Hellenic Army Marmon Herrington Mk - IVF armoured vehicles , which were distributed primarily across the north of the island , in positions facing the massive fortified Turkish enclaves at Kokkina ( a coastal beachhead in Morphou district ) and especially Saint Hilarion ( a complex of Turkish Cypriot mountain and highland positions in Kyrenia district ) . At the time , the Cypriot National Guard also possessed four Daimler Dingo armoured scout cars ( first sighted on 1 October 1964 Independence Day parade in Nicosia ) which were formerly of the British Army and had been supplied in 1960 for policing duties , along with an estimated 3 Shorland armoured cars and a number of C - 17 armoured utility trucks . On 8 – 9 August 1964 , a sustained Turkish air - attack in the Tylliria area resulted in the destruction of an Marmon Herrington Mk - IVF armoured car , which caught fire after a bomb fell on a nearby building in Kato Pyrgos on 9 August . On the same day , a Greek Cypriot Daimler Dingo was fired upon by a Turkish Cypriot machine gun position at Ortakoy , resulting in a sustained gun battle . The running battles between the Cypriot National Guard ( and smaller armed factions such as EOKA ) with the Turkish Cypriots illuminated major deficiencies in the Greek Cypriot ability to apply armoured assets effectively in the battlefield , since the only available vehicles were lightly armed , and lacked heavy armour or firepower . Thus , in September 1964 , the Republic of Cyprus secured a major arms deal with the Soviet Union for the delivery of 35 T - 34 / 85 medium tanks and 45 BTR - 152 armoured personnel carriers , the former to equip a medium tank battalion ( the 23 EMA ) and the latter to equip a mechanised infantry battalion ( the 286 MTP ) . Until the arrival of these vehicles in late 1965 , the Greek Cypriots were forced to overcome the limitations of their National Guard by supplementing their armoured forces with home - made armoured vehicles , produced both by the National Guard Technical Corps and civilian contracts . This led to the creation of a small national arms industry , centred around a handful of civilian companies , which largely prevailed until the 1974 invasion . The loss of several important warehouses and factories ( especially those of the Kaisis Motor Company ) near Nicosia International Airport in the 1974 invasion , combined with the effective destruction of the island ' s economy , effectively ended the Cypriot arms industry , and it never returned to prominence . 1974 Invasion of Cyprus by Turkey . On 20 July 1974 , Turkey initiated a surprise invasion of the island of Cyprus without issuing a declaration of war , on the pretext of intervening against a military coup taking place in the Capital of Nicosia . At the outset , the first Greek Cypriot unit ( the 251 Infantry battalion ) to reach the Turkish beachhead at Pentemilli ( Five Mile Beach ) was equipped with five T - 34 / 85 tanks seconded from the 23 EMA . These tanks pressed aggressively into the beachhead zone and destroyed two Turkish recoilless rifle positions and two Turkish M - 113 APCs , before four vehicles succumbed to anti - tank weapons and air attack . The fifth tank withdrew and was abandoned at the camp of the 251 Battalion with mechanical problems . On the same day , the 23 EMA medium tank battalion was instructed to support Greek and Greek Cypriot forces in an attack on the Turkish - controlled enclave of Geunyeli , just north - west of Nicosia , which was being used to blockade the Nicosia - Kyrenia highway and prevent Greek Cypriot reinforcements from reaching Kyrenia , which was under attack . Fearing that the Turks might also use Geunyeli to form a bridgehead between Kyrenia and Nicosia , some 19 T - 34 / 85 tanks were deployed in the action in a concerted effort with infantry and artillery to destroy Turkish resistance there . Upon reaching the Turkish defensive line at Geunyeli , the Greek Cypriot and Greek coalition formation encountered fortifications and a line of anti - tank obstacles that could not be circumnavigated . Two tanks attempted to press through and became trapped , and had to be abandoned under heavy fire . A further two T - 34s were destroyed by Turkish war planes which were now subjecting the area to bombardment . Facing a disaster , the Greek Cypriots recalled their fifteen remaining T - 34s to a safe distance in order to provide support fire . However , continuing air attacks and smoke cover caused confusion and disarray , and the Greek Cypriot and Greek forces withdrew rather than press into the enclave without support . Main Cypriot armored vehicles of 1960 - 1974 . This section includes vehicles which entered service during the period of 1960 - 1974 . T - 34 / 85 main battle tank . The Greek Cypriots operated a total of 32 - 35 Russian - made T - 34 tanks that were acquired from Soviet Union and delivered via Egypt in 1964 - 65 on board Cypriot merchant ship " Constantis Boushes " ( Kωνσταντής Mπουσές ) . These tanks were supplied to the 23EMA Medium Tank Battalion , with the main base at Kokkinotrimithia , Kyrenia ( this base was vacant at the time of the Turkish invasion , since tanks were needed in Nicosia for the 15 July coup ) . The T - 34 variant in service was the later - model T - 34 / 85 , equipped with a WW2 - era 85mm gun . The vehicles were operated in a dark green camouflage , probably used by the original Warsaw Pact user , and retained this camouflage afterwards , though during combat , there is evidence that the tanks were streaked with paint or mud to break up the colour . Cypriot National Guard T - 34 ' s were entirely unique from all Soviet and Warsaw Pact countries in that they mounted the US M2 Browning . 50cal machine gun , originally on the rear of the turret roof , on top of the ventilator domes . Some time before 1974 , the armament was then moved forward to the front of the turret , in front of the commanders cupola . The standard identifying marking was a dark blue square overlaid with a white cross , identical to that used by the Hellenic Army , and intended to show the obvious affinity of the indigenous population majority towards Hellenism , and to some extent , unionism with Greece . All of the tanks carried a number plate painted onto the front glacis plate . Following the 1974 invasion by Turkey , numbers in service were drastically reduced through attrition , and the last remaining operational examples were painted in sand yellow and green camouflage , with a yellow bridging class disk applied centrally to their lower bow plate . Typical features of the Cypriot T - 34 / 85 included a lack of uniformity , suggesting different factory and date sources of manufacture , with varied sub - types of turret for the 85mm gun , and a tendency to employ different types of wheels , often on the same vehicle . The most commonly used wheel type was the 5 - spoked " starfish " shaped type , though it is common to see multi - spoke fan - shaped and solid - disc shaped wheel . In 1985 , the remaining handful of T - 34s were withdrawn from service . BTR - 152V1 APC . Around 40 BTR - 152V1 armored personnel carriers were acquired for the Cypriot National Guard from Soviet Union in 1964 - 65 during the early presidency of Archbishop Makarios . During the period of the 1974 war , all of the BTR - 152 armored personnel carriers are believed to have served with the 286MTP ( Tagmatos Pezikou / Battalion Infantry Mechanised ) . The National Guard only used the V1 production model of the BTR - 152 , of a variant with a frontal winch emplacement and no roof , and mounting a version of the Goryunov 7 . 62mm co - axial machine gun with steel plate protection . Camouflage appears to have been olive green or similar shade , and would probably have been coated with mud during combat conditions to break up the colour , as was the tendency with Cypriot armored vehicles . Vehicles captured by the Turkish Army were painted white for display purposes . A Hellenic Army blue - white cross insignia was typically carried on either front door of the vehicle , and by 1965 , all vehicles operated with the standard " EF - 1234 " registration , EF denoting Ethniki Froura , or National Guard . Marmon Herrington Mk - IVF AFV . An estimated 40 of these armored cars served in the 21 EAN ( 21st Armored Reconnaissance Battalion ) , which are known to have been in service in 1964 . The vehicles were either supplied from Britain or Greece as surplus . The Marmon Herrington Mk - IVF ' s in service with the National Guard during 1974 were likely to be some of the very last of their type to see main deployment in battle , anywhere in the world ( a situation similar to the Daimler Dingo ' s and M8 Greyhound s ) - evidence of a modern war fought with vintage weapons by a Commonwealth country , where virtually the entire inventory is made up of surplus materials from other countries . Although the vehicle was typically intended for a 3 - man crew , it is not uncommon to encounter photographs suggesting a four - man crew in Cypriot service . During the war of July – August 1974 , and the coup preceding it , Marmon - Herrington Mk - IVF armored vehicles were photographed with two - tone camouflage ( dark olive green and mustard white ) , probably applied just before combat conditions to break up the colour . It was standard practice in combat conditions to completely cover the vehicle with foliage and / or foliage mesh , and this too is recorded by photography . External stores were either strapped in bags on the side of the hull , or in baskets or holders on the rear quarters of the hull . A spare tyre was typically carried at the rear of the vehicle . During 1964 , there are photographic records that the Marmon Herrington ' s carried a two - digit identification number , painted in white paint on the front right quarter of the chassis , just right of the headlamp on that side , with one recorded number being " 39 " . The vehicles were routinely brought out in immaculate conditions for parades during the 1960s , which were fairly frequent , and may often have been reviewed without identification numbers . In some instances , the carriage baskets at the rear were either removed or painted bright white for parades . All of the vehicles mounted a radio set with high - gain antennae . The vehicle was not particularly well armored by 1970s combat standards , achieving up to 20mm and moderate sloping of the front and side plating . Survivability would have been largely down to a potential road speed of 80 km / h and the addition of two forward firing smoke mortars , as well as a radio for situational awareness . Armament was a British QF 2 - pounder 40mm anti - tank gun , of WW2 era , with a range of anything up to 1 , 000 yards at a muzzle velocity of 2 , 650 feet per second , mounted in a two - man turret . Secondary armament was a co - axial Browning 7 . 62mm machine gun , suggesting a late production 1943 sub - variant . One of these vehicles with the designation EF020 is now on display at the National Tank Museum in Bonnington Dorset England it was transported to the UK in 1986 . M47 Patton main battle tank ( captured ) . Two M47 Patton main battle tank s were captured in an intact and operable condition during the Greek Cypriot resistance to the 1974 invasion of the north of the island by Turkey . The first example , 092273 , was captured from an armored column belonging to the 5th Armored Brigade on 2 August 1974 at Kornos Hill , in an ambush by the 316th Infantry Battalion of the Cypriot National Guard . The 316th , equipped with M40A1 recoilless rifles , destroyed a leading M47 and a rearguard M113 , consequently trapping an M47 and M113 on a narrow dirt track . Example 092273 was handed over to elements of the 286 Mechanised Infantry Battalion on 3 August 1974 , and was sent to Nicosia to defend the Capital . The vehicle remained in Greek Cypriot service until 1993 , and survives as a war trophy . The second example ( serial unknown ) was captured by the 231st Infantry Battalion from an armored unit supporting the Turkish 50th Infantry Regiment at the village of Agios Vassilias , Kyrenia district , in an ambush with 106mm anti - tank weapons that destroyed two other M47s on 15 August 1974 . The tank was used to shell the enemy , but could not be recovered from the battlefield and was consequently destroyed by its Greek Cypriot crew . M113A1 APC ( captured ) . A single M113 armored personnel carrier of the Turkish 5th Armored Brigade was captured by the 316th Infantry Battalion on 2 August 1974 . The vehicle served the 286MTP in Nicosia during 1974 , and then went on to serve until its retirement in the early 1990s . It survives as a war trophy . Unknown medium tank ( stored ) . First reported in 1975 , it is believed that President Archbishop Makarios III had acquired four medium tanks of unknown type and origin for his personal paramilitary force , the Tactical Police Reserve . These four tanks were stored secretly in a warehouse in an industrial estate adjacent to the Nicosia International Airport , but fell into the hands of the UN where a buffer zone was established in the area in August 1974 . Improvised Cypriot armored vehicles of 1960 - 1974 . This section includes domestically - produced vehicles during the period of 1960 - 1974 . Armored vehicle ( modified Valentine Mk - II ) . First photographed on parade in Nicosia in May 1964 , a single modified Valentine Mk - II served in the Cypriot National Guard . It is believed that the example was restored to active use from an abandoned hulk , which lacked a turret . The Greek Cypriots installed a box - shaped turret of their own on the vehicle , sufficient to allow a gunner to fire a Bren gun from a standing position inside the vehicle . It almost certainly served with a two man crew . The vehicle still survives and is owned by the Cypriot National Guard , who intend to place it in a proposed new military museum . Armored personnel carrier ( converted from AT - S artillery tractor ) . It is known that during battles near Kyrenia in 1974 , 346th infantry battalion of the 3rd Tactical Group were using few improvised APCs , converted from Russian - made artillery tractor s AT - S ( also known as ATS - 712 ) . One of them was destroyed by Turkish AT weapon and later placed on display at Turkish war memorial near Pentemili beach . Armored bulldozer " Demon Type / K - Type " . The so - called Demon type ( the Greek Cypriot operators apparently marked their own vehicles in paint or chalk with this name ) entered service no later than January 1964 , with an estimated 5 , or possibly six vehicles involved in combat house demolition in the Turkish Cypriot - held Ktima quarter of Paphos in March 1964 , as well as in later skirmishes in Nicosia . Similar tactics had been noted in use by the Israelis in Palestinian - controlled territories , leading to a Greek Cypriot use of bulldozers fitted with armour to level buildings favoued by Turkish Cypriots as hide - outs , machine - gun nests and sniper positions . All vehicles of this type were marked with a " K - 1 " format serial number , marked in bold white characters on the sides and rear . The vehicle was essentially a tracked medium bulldozer ( type unknown ) encased inside a rectangular box of approximately thick steel plate . The driver sat in the conventional position at the rear of the vehicle and viewed the frontal arc through two narrow slats . The vehicle was equipped with a metal roof box , suitable to shield a gunner who would stand behind the seated driver and fire an automatic weapon across the frontal arc of the vehicle , to suppress enemy fire . Armored vehicle ( Commer Spacevan ? ) . First photographed in 1964 , this vehicle appears to be a Commer Spacevan type truck which has been encased with steel plate , providing sloped armour on all quarters . The vehicle carries no turret , and appears to be only accessible from a roof hatch . A roof - top ventilation port is visible towards the front of the vehicle , along with a Cypriot flag , presumably used to identify the vehicle . No external markings visible . The hull is installed with recessed square - shaped ports ( 3 on each side , and 2 on the rear ) , presumably to allow for occupants to fire small arms out of the vehicle . Unknown number produced , service life , designation or manufacturer . Possibly a KMC ( Kaisis Motor Company ) construction as this company was apparently licensed to produce and sell Commer type vehicles in the 1960s . Armored vehicle ( Commer Carrier ) . First photographed in May 1964 in Nicosia with the designation EF - 15 , the vehicle was a Commer 3 / 4 - ton truck entirely encased in sloped steel plate armour . Almost certainly served with a two man crew , the vehicle possessed an unusual arrangement of two small turrets , one behind the other . The front turret appears to have covered the frontal arc of fire for a gunner with a lightweight Sten sub machine gun , whilst the rear turret covered the rear arc of fire . Only one vehicle known to exist , and fate unknown . Main Cypriot armored vehicles of 1974 - present . T - 80U / UK main battle tank . 27 T - 80 U " s " and 14 T - 80 UK " s " were ordered in 1996 from Russia . The T - 80 U " s " were delivered in 1996 and the T - 80 UK " s " were delivered in 1997 . In 1999 , a planned order for 41 additional T - 80 U / UK type tanks was cancelled due to political sensitivities . As of 2009 , the Cyprus National Guard is to equip with a further 41 T - 80 U / UK type tanks from Russian suppliers , with a pre - agreement reportedly made for a further 41 tanks of the type . The deal was previously erroneously reported to consist of Russian T - 90 tanks . AMX - 30 / AMX - 30B2 main battle tank . The Initial Batch of 53 Tanks was delivered from France in 1988 . Second Batch of 52 Tanks from Greece in 1996 and a Final Batch of 9 in 2003 . M48A5 MOLF main battle tank ( loaned ) . These were originally sent to the ELDYK forces stationed on the island . They have since been returned to Greece due to U . S . pressure . EE - 9 Cascavel armored fighting vehicle . The Engesa EE - 9 Cascavel Armoured Car was purchased in 1982 with deliveries starting in 1984 to 1988 , a total of a 126 was received . These were the first modern AFV in service at the time . The Cascavels are the Standard Mark IV / V Versions . It has a top speed of 80 km / h off the Road and 110 km / h on Road . It is armed with a 90 mm Belgian Cockerill Mk 3 gun , improved day and night optics with laser rangefinder , and a 12 . 7 mm antiaircraft MG . EE - 3 Jararaca armored fighting vehicle . The Engesa EE - 3 Jararaca Armoured Car was purchased in 1982 with deliveries starting in 1984 to 1985 , a total of a 36 was received . 24 Vehicles are armed with Milan Anti Tank Missile Launchers . The Car has a 3 man crew with a top speed of 100 km / h and is armed with 1 x 20 - mm Rh202 autocannon , 1 x 12 . 7mm machinegun . EE - 11 Urutu armoured personnel carrier . 10 Engesa EE - 11 Urutu were delivered in 1984 there operational status is unknown AMX - VCI armoured personnel carrier . 27 of these vehicles were order in 1982 this version is armed with a 20 min cannon in a one man turret . VAB - VCI / VTT / VCAC armoured vehicle . In 1982 100 vehicles were ordered . The VTT was armed with a 7 . 62mm machine gun mounted above the co driver ’ s position . In 1991 an additional eighteen six - wheeled VCAC Hot UTM - 800 were delivered armed with four Euromissile launchers on the turret . These vehicles also carried 7 . 62mm machine gun .