List of equipment of the Somali Armed Forces

More information Name, Image ...

Name	Image	Caliber	Type	Origin	Notes
Rifles
AKM[1]		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Soviet Union
AK-74		5.45×39mm	Assault rifle	Soviet Union	Used by National Intelligence and Security Agency special forces Gaashaan and Waran,[2] and Danab commandos.[3]
AK-74M		5.45×39mm	Assault rifle	Russia	Used by NISA special forces Gaashaan and Waran,[4] and Danab commandos.[5]
Vz. 58[6]		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
PM md. 63		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Socialist Republic of Romania
AK-63[7]		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Hungarian People's Republic
Zastava M70		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Yugoslavia
Type 56[8]		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	China
MG3		7.62×51mm	General purpose machine gun	Turkey	[9]
MPT-76		7.62×51mm	Battle rifle	Turkey	450 delivered.[10]
M16[11]		5.56×45mm	Assault rifle	United States
M4A1		5.56×45mm	Carbine Assault rifle	United States	Used by Special Forces.[citation needed]
Heckler & Koch G3		7.62×51mm	Battle rifle	West Germany	Used by the Danab Brigade and the "Gorgor" Brigade, also used by Camp TURKSOM NCOs and officer cadets.[12][13]
SKS-45 Simonov		7.62×39mm	Semi-automatic rifle	Soviet Union	Used for ceremonial purposes by the Presidential Guard.[citation needed]
Sniper rifles
SVD[14]		7.62×54mmR	Designated marksman rifle Sniper rifle	Soviet Union
Machine guns
RP-46[15]		7.62×54mmR	Light machine gun	Soviet Union
SG-43[16]		7.62×54mmR	Medium machine gun	Soviet Union
Browning M1919[16]		7.62×51mm	Medium machine gun	United States
KPV		14.5×114mm	Heavy machine gun	Soviet Union
DShK[17]		12.7×108mm	Heavy machine gun	Soviet Union
RPD[15]		7.62×39mm	Squad automatic weapon	Soviet Union
PKM[1]		7.62×54mmR	General-purpose machine gun	Soviet Union
Zastava M84[18]		7.62×54mmR	General-purpose machine gun	Yugoslavia
Rocket propelled grenade launchers
RPG-2[16]		40mm	Rocket-propelled grenade	Soviet Union
RPG-7[1]		40mm	Rocket-propelled grenade	Soviet Union
Grenade launchers
AGS-17[citation needed]		30×29mm	Grenade launcher	Soviet Union

Close

Among pistols formerly reported in service in 2009 were the Soviet Makarov pistol.^[15]

More information Name, Image ...

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
Toyota Land Cruiser		Utility vehicle	Japan	10[26]	In Service	Donated by Turkey.
Mitsubishi Triton		Utility vehicle	Japan	26+[27]	In Service	Donated by Turkey.
Trucks
M939[28]		Utility truck	United States	Unknown	In Service
BMC 245-16P 4x4		Utility truck	Turkey	14[29]	In Service	Donated by Turkey.
Iveco 4x4		Utility truck	Italy	3+[30]	In Service	Donated by Turkey.

Close

In May 2020, the Somalia's Security Sector Reform twitter account posted a number of pictures of Japanese Toyota 4Runner which had been used to promote COVID-19 awareness.^[31][32]

In 2024, Italy supplied Somalia with four Bell 412 utility helicopters, "marking the most significant delivery of military equipment since the lifting of the arms embargo imposed on Somalia".^[33][34] The United Nations Support Office for Somalia has supported the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia to acquire three helicopters from Burundi.^[35]

In addition to aircraft operated by the Somali Armed Forces, the National Intelligence and Security Agency operates Bayraktar TB2 drones.^[36][37]

More information Name, Image ...

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
Unmanned aerial vehicles
Serçe-1		Multi-Rotor Drone System	Turkey	N/A	In Service	[38]
Bayraktar Akinci		UCAV	Turkey	2	In Service	[39][40]
Bayraktar TB2		UCAV	Turkey	5	In Service	[41][42][43]
Helicopters
Bell 412		Utility helicopter	United States Canada	6	In Service	Includes 1 Bell-412SP and 1 Agusta-Bell 412 variants[44]
TAI T-70		Utility and transport helicopter	Turkey	2	In Service	Two delivered for the Somali Navy[45][46]
TAI T129 ATAK		Attack helicopter	Turkey	6	In Service	Three delivered in March 2025 and three more in June 2025 as part of Somalia’s close air support modernization. [47] [48]

Close

Among firearms associated with the Somali National Army and reported by Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/10 were Soviet TT pistols, British Sterling submachine guns; German Heckler & Koch G3 and Belgian FN FAL assault rifles, U.S. M14 rifles, Soviet RPD machine guns; Soviet RPK machine guns; Soviet RP-46 machine guns; French AA-52 machine guns; Belgian FN MAG machine guns; Soviet DShK heavy machine guns; U.S. M2 Browning .50 cal heavy machine guns; and U.S. M79 grenade launchers and Soviet RPG-2 grenade launchers.^[15]

After independence, the Somali National Army initially inherited five Comet tanks, six Ferret armoured cars and eighteen Universal Carrier machine-gun carriers from withdrawing British forces.^[50]

Previous arms acquisitions included the following equipment, much of which was unserviceable circa June 1989:^[51] 293 main battle tanks (30 Centurions; 123 M47 Patton, 30 T-34, 110 T-54/55 from various sources). Christopher F. Foss, writing in the second edition of Jane's Main Battle Tanks said that 'Kuwait was believed to have supplied Somalia with about 35 Centurions.'^[52] The Military Balance 1987–88 (p. 112) listed 30 Centurions held by the Somali Army.

Other armoured fighting vehicles included 10 M41 Walker Bulldog light tanks, 30 BRDM-2 and 15 Panhard AML-90 armored cars (formerly owned by Saudi Arabia). The IISS estimated in 1989 that there were 474 armoured personnel carriers, including 64 BTR-40/BTR-50/BTR-60, 100 BTR-152 wheeled armored personnel carriers, 310 Fiat 6614 and 6616s, and that BMR-600s had been reported. SIPRI also reported BTR-70s had been sold to Somalia.^[53] The IISS estimated that there were 210 towed artillery pieces (8 M-1944 100 mm, 100 M-56 105 mm, 84 M-1938 122 mm, and 18 M198 155 mm towed howitzers). Other equipment reported by the IISS included 82 mm and 120 mm mortars, 100 Milan and BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles, rocket launchers, recoilless rifles, and a variety of Soviet air defence guns of 20 mm, 23 mm, 37 mm, 40 mm, 57 mm, and 100 mm calibre. SIPRI also reported that 9K32 Strela-2 air defence missiles had been transferred.^[53]

In addition, U.S. M151 trucks had been sold to Somalia by December 1987.^[54]

IISS Military Balance 2022 lists only armoured personnel carriers and utility vehicles.

More information Name, Image ...

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
BRDM-2		Amphibious armored scout car	Soviet Union	Unknown	Retired
ZU-23-2[55]		Autocannon	Soviet Union	Unknown	Retired

Close

More information Name, Image ...

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
Rocket artillery
BM-21 Grad[56]		Multiple rocket launcher	Soviet Union	Unknown	Retired

Close