Royal Yugoslav Army
From Roach Busters
The Royal Yugoslav Army is the military force of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It is composed of three branches (a ground force, a navy, and an air force) and comprises 180,000 soldiers, around half of whom are conscripts. While Yugoslavia produces much of its own military hardware, it also purchases large quantities from Russia and, to a lesser extent, other countries. It is generally regarded as an effective military force. The monarch, King Alexander II, holds the rank of Field Marshal (a rank assigned only to the head of state) and serves as the commander-in-chief of the Royal Yugoslav Army.
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[edit] Organization
The Royal Yugoslav Army is organized into four military regions, which are further divided into districts that are responsible for administrative tasks such as draft registration, mobilization and construction and maintenance of military facilities. The regions are: Belgrade, Zagreb, Skopje, and Split Naval Region.
[edit] Ground Forces
Previously organized among divisional lines, the Royal Yugoslav Army Ground Forces has since been re-organized, and has since established the brigade as its largest operational unit. The Ground Forces, the largest component of the Royal Yugoslav Army, consists of 140,000 personnel, organized into twenty-nine tank, mechanized, and mountain infantry brigades with integral artillery, air defense, and anti-tank regiments. One airborne brigade was organized before 1990. The shift to brigade-level organization provided greater operational flexibility, maneuverability, and tactical initiative, and it reduced the possibility that large army units would be destroyed in setpiece engagements with an aggressor. The change created many senior field command positions that would develop relatively young and talented officers.
[edit] Naval Forces
The Royal Yugoslav Army Naval Forces has 10,000 sailors (4,400 conscripts), including 2,300 in twenty-five coastal artillery batteries and 900 marines in one light naval infantry brigade. This is essentially a coastal defense force with the mission of preventing enemy landings along Yugoslavia's rugged 4,000- kilometer shoreline or coastal islands, and contesting an enemy blockade or control of the strategic Strait of Otranto. Its capabilities are limited by a lack of operational time at sea and infrequent live firing exercises.
The entire coast of Yugoslavia is part of the naval region headquartered at Split.
[edit] Air Force
WORK IN PROGRESS
The Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force has about 32,000 personnel, including 4,000 conscripts, and operates over 700 aircraft and 200 helicopters. It is responsible for transport, reconnaissance, and rotary-wing aircraft as well as the national air defense system. The primary air force missions are to contest enemy efforts to establish air superiority over Yugoslavia and to support the defensive operations of the ground forces and navy. Most aircraft are produced in Yugoslavia, while missiles are produced domestically or supplied by Russia.
The air force had twelve squadrons of domestically produced ground attack fighters. The ground attack squadrons provided close air support to ground force operations. They were equipped with 165 new Orao-2, Super Galeb and Jastreb, and older P-2 Kraguj fighters. In 1990 gradual procurement of more Orao-2 fighters was facilitating replacement by the older fighters in ground attack squadrons. Many ground attack fighters were armed with AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles purchased from the United States. Others were armed with Soviet AS-7 and AS-9 missiles. The air force also had seventy armed Mi-8 helicopter gunships to provide added mobility and fire support for small ground units. A large number of reconnaissance aircraft were available to support ground forces operations. Four squadrons of seventy Galeb, Jastreb, and Orao-1 fighters were configured for reconnaissance missions.
The air force provides limited transport for the ground forces. It has two squadrons with over thirty Yak-40, Ilyushin Il-76, C-130 Hercules, Aeritalia G.222, An-12, and An-26 transport aircraft. It has seven helicopter transport squadrons with Mi-8, Mi-12, Mi-17, Mi-26, Alouette II, Alouette III, and Puma helicopters.
The air force has a limited role in supporting the navy in coastal defense operations. It operates one squadron of Ka-25 and Ka-28 anti-submarine warfare helicopters and two squadrons of Mi-14 and transport helicopters in support of navy missions.
The air force conducts a large pilot training program with almost 200 Galeb, Jastreb, and UTVA-75/-76 aircraft. The propeller-driven UTVA trainers had underwing pylons capable of carrying light weapons loads. A new UTVA Lasta trainer was under development in 1990. After practicing instrument and night flying, gunnery, bombing, rocket firing, and aerial maneuvers in the Lasta, student pilots progressed to the Super Galeb. Twenty Partisan helicopters were used for pilot training.
The air force had nine squadrons of 130 Soviet-made MiG-21 interceptors for air defense. First produced in the late 1950s, the MiG-21 was largely obsolete in 1990 and represented a potential weakness in Yugoslavia's air defense. The MiG-21's were armed with Soviet AA-2 air-to-air missiles of a similar vintage and some more modern AA-8 missiles as well as twin 30-mm cannons. The air force acquired one squadron of new Soviet MiG-29 interceptors in 1989, possibly as an initial step toward modernizing its interceptor squadrons. One Yugoslav aircraft manufacturer also was developing a new domestic multirole fighter to replace the MiG-21.
The air force controlled additional capable ground-based air defense forces, which were upgraded in the mid-1970s. They included eight battalions of Soviet SA-2 surface-to-air missiles; six battalions of more modern SA-3 missiles; fifteen regiments of antiaircraft artillery; and a network of early warning radars and command, control, and communications equipment dispersed at sites around the country. The best-defended sites were those with strategic military value, including government army headquarters, industrial infrastructure, major population centers, ports, and airfields.
[edit] Equipment
[edit] Individual weapons
[edit] Pistols
- CZ-99 9mm semi-automatic pistol
- HS2000 9mm semi-automatic pistol
- OTs-02 Kiparis 9x18mm machine pistol
[edit] Shotguns
- Saiga-12 .410 shotgun
- TOZ-194 12 gauge shotgun
[edit] Submachine guns/carbines
- PP-19 Bizon 9mm submachine gun
- Heckler & Koch MP5 9x19mm submachine gun
- AKS-74U 5.45mm carbine
[edit] Rifles
- M70 7.62x39mm assault rifle
- M21 5.56x45mm assault rifle
- M85/M90 5.56x45mm assault rifle
- M77 7.62x51mm assault rifle
- SIG SG 510 7.5x55mm battle rifle
- M93 Black Arrow 12.7x108mm sniper rifle
- M91 7.62x54Rmm sniper rifle
- M76 7.92x57mm sniper rifle
[edit] Machine guns
- M84 7.62x54mm general purpose machine gun
- M87 12.7mm heavy machine gun
- M72 7.62x39mm light machine gun
[edit] Grenade launchers/assault weapons
- M79 90mm rocket launcher
- M90 120mm rocket launcher
- M80 64mm rocket-propelled grenade launcher
- BGA 30mm automatic grenade launcher
- SPG-9 73mm recoilless rifle
[edit] Artillery
- M1954 130mm towed howitzer
- M84 NORA-A 152mm towed howitzer
- 2A18 (D-30) 122mm towed howitzer
- M56 105mm towed howitzer
- Patria NEMO 120mm mortar
- M30 107mm mortar
- 2B9 Vasilek 82mm mortar
- 82-PM-41 82mm mortar
- 2A19 100mm anti-tank gun
- 2S25 Sprut-SD 125mm anti-tank gun
[edit] Vehicles
[edit] Armored vehicles
[edit] Tanks
- M-2001 main battle tank
- M-84 main battle tank
- M-84AB
- M-84ABN
- M-84ABK command tank
- M-84A4 Sniper
- M-84AI armored recovery vehicle
- M-84D
- T-72 main battle tank
- T-72K command tank
- BREM-1 armored recovery vehicle
- IMR-2 combat engineer vehicle
- MTU-72 bridge layer tank
- RKhM-7 "Berloga-1" NBC reconnaissance tank
- T-54/55 main battle tank
- OT-55 flame-thrower tank
- MT-55A bridge layer tank
- T-54-T armored recovery vehicle
- VT-55A armored recovery vehicle
- T-34 medium tank
- PT-76 light tank
- PT-76RKh NBC reconnaissance light tank
- MTP-1 technical support vehicle
- UR-67 mine-clearing vehicle
- PT-76B
[edit] Armored fighting vehicles
- BMPT tank support fighting vehicle
- BTR-T heavy infantry fighting vehicle
- BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle
- BMP-3K command vehicle
- BRM-3K "Rys" reconnaissance vehicle
- BREM-L "Beglianka" armored recovery vehicle
- 9P157 "Krizantema-S" anti-tank vehicle
- 9P162 "Kornet-T" anti-tank vehicle
- 2S31 Vena fire support vehicle
- DZM "Vostorg-2" combat engineer vehicle
- Hermes air defense vehicle
- BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle
- BMP-2K command vehicle
- BVP M-80 infantry fighting vehicle
- M-80AI scout vehicle
- M-80A KC command vehicle
- M-80A LT anti-tank vehicle
- Sava M-90 air defense vehicle
- SPAT 30/2 air defense vehicle
- M-80A Sn armored ambulance
- MOS self-propelled mine layer
- M-98 Vidra (upgraded version)
- BMD-1 airborne infantry fighting vehicle
- BMD-1KShM "Soroka" command post vehicle
- BMD-1R "Sinitsa" signals vehicle
- BREM-D repair and recovery vehicle
- 1V119 "Reostat" artillery observation post
- BTR-90 armored personnel carrier
- BTR-90M
- BTR-80 armored personnel carrier
- BTR-80K command vehicle
- BRDM-3 reconnaissance vehicle
- 2S23 "Nona-SVK" fire support vehicle
- BREM-K armored recovery vehicle
- RKhM-4 NBC reconnaissance vehicle
- R-149BMRA command and signals vehicle
- E-351BrM mobile electric power station
- PU-12M6 battery command vehicle
- 1V152 command and forward observer vehicle
- BOV armored personnel carrier
- BOV-1 anti-tank vehicle
- BOV-3 air defense vehicle
- BOV-30 air defense vehicle
- BOV-M police armored personnel carrier
- BOV-SN armored ambulance
- MT-LBu amphibious armored personnel carrier
- 1L245 weapons control radar suppression system
- I-52 mine scattering vehicle
- P-256B cable laying vehicle
- MP21-25 command vehicle
- R-149BMRg signals vehicle
- R-378B electronic warfare vehicle
- MT-LB amphibious armored personnel carrier
- SNAR-10 "Jaguar" artillery/mortar locating radar vehicle
- K-612 radiological reconnaissance vehicle
- AZM "Vostorg-1" engineer vehicle
- OT-62 TOPAS amphibious armored personnel carrier
- OT-62 R-2M signals and command vehicle
- DTP-62 technical support vehicle
- TOPAS-2AP 82mm mortar carrier
- ZSU-23-4 air defense vehicle
- 9K35 Strela-10 air defense vehicle
[edit] Self-propelled artillery
- ASU-85 85mm airborne self-propelled howitzer
- 2S1 Gvozdika 122mm self-propelled howitzer
- M-87 Orkan 262mmx12 self-propelled multiple rocket launcher
- M-77 Oganj 128mmx32 self-propelled multiple rocket launcher
- M-63 Plamen 128mmx32 self-propelled multiple rocket launcher
[edit] Support vehicles
- TAM-110 4x4 cargo truck
- TAM-130 6x6 truck (work-shop and cargo versions)
- TAM-150 6x6 truck (cargo, ambulance, NBC, radio-signal, firetruck and support versions)
- TAM-5000 4x4 truck (cargo, NBC, radio-signal and support versions)
- FAP-1118 4x4 truck
- FAP-2026 6x6 truck (cargo, firetruck, fueltruck, radar and pontoon transport versions)
- FAP-2228 6x6 truck
- FAP-2632 8x8 truck
- UAZ-469 light utility vehicle
- UAZ-469B light utility vehicle
- GAZ-3937 "Vodnik" light utility vehicle
- GAZ-33097 2-ton truck
- ZIL-131 3.5 ton truck
- Ural-43206 4.5-ton truck
- Ural-4320 5-ton truck
- KAMAZ-43101 6-ton truck
- ZIL-135 9-ton truck
- Ural-5323 10-ton truck
- MAZ-543 20-ton truck
- TMM-6 Heavy Bridge-Building System
- MAZ-543 tractor
- URAL-5423 tractor
- Pinzgauer High Mobility All-Terrain Vehicle
