Steppe Sentinels: Kazakhstan’s Fighting Vehicles

By Thomas Nachtrab, Stijn Mitzer and Buschlaid

Kazakhstan found itself in a fortunate position when it came to inheriting military equipment from the USSR. The outcome was somewhat akin to a stroke of luck. If not for the drawdown of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany in the late 1980s, Kazakhstan could have been left with a substantial number of nuclear-capable Tu-95 bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), but sorely lacking in terms of conventional military equipment. However, with a significant number of troops formerly deployed to Europe being relocated to the Kazakhstan SSR, the country ended up inheriting a vast arsenal of military equipment far surpassing the needs of the newly-established republic.

Addressing any remaining equipment deficiencies was a relatively easy feat for Kazakhstan as well, as it could trade these with Russia in return for the Tu-95s. Undoubtedly due to these factors, the Kazakh Army has purchased relatively minimal equipment over the last few decades. Instead, Kazakhstan is pursuing several upgrade programmes for its assortment of Soviet-era AFVs, alongside procuring limited quantities of more modern AFVs primarily from Russia. Furthermore, Kazakhstan initiated an effort to establish an domestic AFV production capability, a venture that has seen contracts with South Africa (and Israel) to produce Marauder MRAPs and Mbombe APCs.

Evidently, Kazakhstan has shown a preference for maximising the effectiveness of its existing fleet of AFVs for as long as possible. Nevertheless, the speed at which Kazakhstan has attempted to modernise its AFVs has been notably slow. For nearly a decade, Kazakhstan has been in the process of modernising its T-72 tank fleet, yet a definitive choice of (a foreign) company to perform the upgrades has yet to be made. Facing no immediate conventional military threat, Kazakhstan's existing arsenal of armoured fighting vehicles appears poised to safeguard the steppes for years to come.

This list attempts to list all AFV types currently in service with the Kazakh Army. This list only includes vehicles and equipment of which photographic evidence is available. Trucks, jeeps and radars are not included in the list. This list also doesn't include upgrade programmes showcased in the country or vehicle types manufactured in Kazakhstan but otherwise not adopted by the Kazakh Army. For a complete overview of Kazakhstan's inventory of UAVs click here.

(Click on the equipment to get a picture of them in Kazakh service)

Tanks

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Clik here to view.T-62M
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Clik here to view.T-64BV
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Clik here to view.T-72 'Ural' Early (Pre-Production Batch)
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Clik here to view.T-72 'Ural' Late
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Clik here to view.T-72A Early
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Clik here to view.T-72A Mid
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Clik here to view.T-72A Late
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Clik here to view.T-72A With Kontakt-5
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Clik here to view.T-72AV
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Clik here to view.T-72B
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Clik here to view.T-72BA (Some equipped with slat armour)

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

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Clik here to view.BRM-1K
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Clik here to view.MT-LB (Some equipped with ZU-23s)
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Clik here to view.MT-LB Ambulance
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Clik here to view.BMPT Terminator

Infantry Fighting Vehicles

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Clik here to view.BMP-1P
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Clik here to view.BMP-2 Obr. 1984 (Some equipped with slat armour)
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Clik here to view.BMP-2D
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Clik here to view.BMD-1 (Likely to have been decommissioned)
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Clik here to view.BTR-80A
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Clik here to view.BTR-82A (Some equipped with slat armour)
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Clik here to view.BTR-3

Armoured Personnel Carriers

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Clik here to view.BTR-80
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Clik here to view.Ural-VV
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Clik here to view.Barys

Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles

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Clik here to view.Arlan (Some equipped with RWS and EO mast)

Infantry Mobility Vehicles

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Clik here to view.Otokar Cobra
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Clik here to view.Plasan SandCat
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Clik here to view.Alan-2
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Clik here to view.GAZ Tigr
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Clik here to view.GAZ-3937 Vodnik
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Clik here to view.KamAZ Vystrel (Some equipped with slat armour)
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Clik here to view.STREIT Spartan
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Clik here to view.Roshel Senator
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Clik here to view.M998 HMMWV
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Clik here to view.M1043 HMMWV (Some equipped with ATGMs)
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Clik here to view.M1151 HMMWV

Armoured Trucks

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Clik here to view.Ural Avtozak

Technicals And Tactical Vehicles

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Clik here to view. Toyota Land Cruiser With 12.7mm Kord And 14.5mm ZPU-2
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Clik here to view.AM-1 Tulchanka ATV
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Clik here to view.Can-Am Commander

Command Vehicles

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Clik here to view.BTR-60PU-12
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Clik here to view.MT-LBu

Engineering Vehicles

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Clik here to view.BRDM-2Rkh Radiological-Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle
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Clik here to view.IRM 'Zhuk' Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle
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Clik here to view.IMR-2(M) Combat Engineering Vehicle
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Clik here to view.BAT-2 Heavy Engineering Vehicle
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Clik here to view.BTS-4 Armoured Recovery Vehicle
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Clik here to view.Indigenous T-64-Based Armoured Recovery Vehicle
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Clik here to view.MTU-20 Bridgelayer
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Clik here to view.TMM-3 Bridgelayer
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Clik here to view.Unknown Bridgelayer
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Clik here to view.PTS Tracked Amphibious Transport
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Clik here to view.BMK-460 Towing And Motor Boat
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Clik here to view.GMZ-3 Minelayer
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Clik here to view.BTM-3 Trench Digger
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Clik here to view.MDK-2M Trench Digger
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Clik here to view.PZM-2 Trench Digger
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Clik here to view.PMP Floating Bridge Two configurations: (2)
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Clik here to view.ZS-82 Psyops Vehicle

Self-Propelled Anti-Tank Missile Systems

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Clik here to view.9P149 Shturm-S

Towed Artillery

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Clik here to view.76mm ZiS-3 Anti-Tank Gun
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Clik here to view.100mm MT-12 Anti-Tank Gun
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Clik here to view.122mm D-30 Howitzer
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Clik here to view.152mm D-20 Howitzer
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Clik here to view.152mm 2A65 Msta-B Howitzer
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Clik here to view.152mm 2A36 Giatsint-B Field-Gun

Self-Propelled Artillery

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Clik here to view.82mm 2B9 Vasilek On Truck
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Clik here to view.120mm Aybat
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Clik here to view.122mm 2S9 Nona
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Clik here to view.122mm 2S1 Gvozdika
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Clik here to view.122mm Semser
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Clik here to view.152mm 2S3 Akatsiya
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Clik here to view.240mm 2S4 Tyulpan

Multiple Rocket Launchers

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Clik here to view.122mm 9P138 'Grad-1'
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Clik here to view.122mm 9K59 'Prima'
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Clik here to view.122mm BM-21 'Grad'
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Clik here to view.122mm 2B26 Grad-K
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Clik here to view.220mm BM-27 Uragan
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Clik here to view.220mm TOS-1A
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Clik here to view.300mm BM-30 Smerch
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Clik here to view.122mm/160mm/200mm Naiza

Ballistic Missiles

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Clik here to view.OTR-21 Tochka

Towed Anti-Aircraft Guns

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Clik here to view.12.7mm KORD
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Clik here to view.23mm ZU-23

Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns

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Clik here to view.23mm ZU-23-2M On Truck
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Clik here to view.23mm ZSU-23-4 Shilka

Static Surface-To-Air Missile (SAM) Systems

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Clik here to view.S-125
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Clik here to view.S-200
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Clik here to view.S-300PS

Self-Propelled Surface-To-Air Missile (SAM) Systems

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Clik here to view.9K31 Strela-1
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Clik here to view.9K35 Strela-10
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Clik here to view. Buk-M2E

Surveillance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

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Clik here to view.Elbit Skylark I-LEX
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Clik here to view.Unknown Elbit UAV
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Clik here to view.Orlan-10E

Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles

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Clik here to view.CAIG Wing Loong I (Can be armed with two Blue Arrow 7 AGMs or YZ-100 guided bombs)
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Clik here to view.TAI Anka (Can be armed with four MAM-L or MAM-C guided bombs)