Military of Cyprus
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged with Cypriot National Guard and Talk:Military of Cyprus#Merger proposal. (Discuss) Proposed since April 2008. |
| Military of Cyprus | |
|---|---|
| Military manpower | |
| Military age | 18 years of age |
| Availability | males 15-49:184,352 (2005 est.) |
| Fit for military service | males 15-49: 150,750 (2005 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually | males 6,578 (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures | |
| Dollar figure | $294 million (FY03) |
| Percent of GDP | 3.8% (FY02) |
The Military of Cyprus comprises the Cypriot National Guard, a combined arms force with land, naval and air elements.
Greece maintains the Hellenic Forces Regiment on Cyprus (ELDYK) on the island, but this is not part of the Republic of Cyprus military.
This article focuses on the forces loyal to the de jure government of Cyprus. For information on the military capabilities of the de facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, see Turkish Military Forces in Northern Cyprus.
Conscription
See main article: Conscription in Cyprus
Military service in the Republic of Cyprus is mandatory for males. The minimum obligatory service period is 25 months.[1]
All male visitors to the island of military age (16 and over) who have a father of Cypriot extraction are required to obtain an exit visa from a Defence Ministry office.
Equipment
The United States has an arms embargo on any recent US weapons being used by either side. The Greek Cypriot side was recently criticised for breaching this embargo by acquiring M107, M110A2 and M114 howitzers (subsequently returned) from the Greek National Army.
The Turkish occupation force, which controls approximately 37% of the island, has also been heavily criticised for numerous breaches of the embargo as 95% of its military hardware is of US origin (still not returned) compared to 3-5% of the Republic.
Standard infantry equipment used in Cyprus is the Heckler & Koch G3 and the AK-74 automatic rifles, both by Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot Forces.
Small Arms
- Heckler & Koch G3 assault rifles
- AK-74 assault rifles
- AK-101 assault rifles
Combat Vehicles
Main Battle Tanks
- 113 AMX 30 - AMX-30 and AMX30B2
- 41 T-80 - T-80U and T-80UK
- 61 M48 Patton - M48A5 Patton, belonging to the Greek Army, stationed in Cyprus
Armoured Fighting Vehicles
- 43 BMP-3
- 20 VAB-VCI
- 18 VAB-VCAC (UTM-800 HOT Missile Launcher)
- 15 EE-3 Jararaca (Milan / MG)
- 124 EE-9 Cascavel
Armoured Personnel Carriers
- 141 ELBO Leonidas-2 (APC designed and manufactured by ELBO in Greece)
- 70 VAB-VTT
Self-Propelled Artillery
- 12 ShKH Zuzana
- 12 AMX-13 Mk F3
Towed Artillery
- 12 TRF1
- 72 OTO Melara Mod 56 (M-56 Pack)
- ? M101 howitzer
- 20 M1944
Air Defense
- 6 SA-15 Gauntlet
- 12 Skyguards - 24 launchers approx 130 Selenia Aspide missiles, plus Oerlikon 35 mm guns
- 30 Mistral - 12 twin and 18 single launchers
- ? SA-17 Grizzly
- ? ZU-23-2 guns - belong to the Greek Army, stationed in Cyprus
- ? M-55 guns- Yugoslavian made
Rocket Launchers
- 18 BM-21 Grad
- 24 M-63 Plamen
Anti-tank
- 45 MILAN
- 18 HOT - on VAB vehicles . Also at 4 SA-342 Gazelle helicopters
- 1000 APILAS
- 450 RPG-7
Air Force
Template:Standard table
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service[2]
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
| Aérospatiale SA 342 Gazelle || 
France || scout helicopter || SA 342L1 || 4 ||
|-----
| Bell 206B JetRanger || 
United States || utility helicopter || B206L3 || 2 ||
|-----
| Britten-Norman BN-2B Islander || 
United Kingdom || utility || BN-2B || 1 ||
|-----
| Mil Mi-35 Hind-E || 
Russia || attack helicopter || Mi-35PM-1 || 11 ||
|-----
| Pilatus PC-9 || 
Switzerland || trainer || || 1 ||
|}
In addition three aircraft are operated on police and paramilitary duties:
The Cyprus Navy is equipped with CNV P-190 fast patrol craft, Salamis class patrol craft, Kyrenia class patrol craft and SAB-12 fast attack craft.
The Cyprus Coast Guard is equipped with CNV P-190 fast patrol craft, Evagoras class patrol craft, Kingfisher class fast patrol craft and Kimon class fast patrol craft.
Both services also utilize Nautimar HD-7 and other types of dual-engine rigid-inflatable boats.
The Cyprus Navy has a Special Forces underwater demolitions unit known as "OYK".
Also the Navy has 3 Exocet MM40 launchers for coastal defence and 24 missiles in inventory.
See also
References
- ^ Barry Turner, ed. (2006). "Cyprus". The Statesman's Yearbook 2007 (143rd ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillian. pp. 378–379. ISBN 1-4039-9276-2.
- ^ "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15 2007.
