African OOB Thread

[MarkSheppard]

This is a consolidated thread for African OOBs, to avoid spamming the forum with eleven billion threads.

To help Don and Andy, include the OBAT number; e.g.

OBAT 049 - Cuba (the Cubans did a LOT of fighting directly)
OBAT 052 - South Africa
OBAT 061 - Nigeria
OBAT 062 - Chad
OBAT 063 - Ethiopia
OBAT 067 - Sudan
OBAT 069 - Kenya
OBAT 076 - South Yemen
OBAT 077 - Yemen
OBAT 078 - Eritrea
OBAT 081 - Mozambique
OBAT 086 - Rhodesia
OBAT 088 - Somalia
OBAT 089 - Tanzania
OBAT 090 - Uganda

OBAT 080 - UN (for specific pieces of UN equipment seen in African wars)

When you post.

---------------------------------

To start off this thread, DRG asked some data about Ethiopian equipment end dates:

OBAT 063 - Ethiopia

Source: IISS Military Balance 2019

245+ x T-54/55/62 (still in service)
215 x T-72B. (still in service)
100 x BRDM 1/2 (still in service)
20 x BMP-1 (still in service)
300 x BTR-60 or BTR-152 (still in service)
10 x 2S1 Gvozdika SPH (still in service)

There is a few additions that are currently not in the Ethopian OOB:

20 x 2S19 152mm Msta-S (1998-Present), of which 10 are reported still active in 2019.

8 x Mi-8MT/Mi-17 variants (of the Mi-17V-5 version) were delivered 2009-10 -- these are basically already in the game in OBAT 018 - INDIA unit Slot 115, Mi-17V5.

75 x Thunder MRAPs -- produced 2013-2017.

https://intelligencebriefs.com/ethio...under-license/

Basically, it's a MRAP developed by a Israeli company and after the first few units, produced locally in Ethiopia:

The «Thunder» is a multi-purpose 4×4 armored vehicle. It carries up to 12 people.
Light protection level and 1.8-ton payload.
Typical applications: personnel carrier, police logistics, Peacekeeping, ambulance among other purposes.

Question Mark:
The SIPRI register of arms trades says that in 1998, the Russians sold 10 x 2S5 152mm 2S5 Giatsint-S to Ethiopia, but the IISS military balance say it's not in service as of 2005. I'm not quite sure whether or not 2S5 actually went anywhere. It may have been sold to Ethopia briefly in 1998 to give Ethopia experience in operating 152mm artillery until the 2S19 units they ordered arrived.

[DRG]

Thanks but the ones you called to be added in the other thread are not on that list in the first post and those are the ones in question

New Units
25 x PT-76 in 1977-78
100 x BTR-40 in 1977-78
10 x ZSU-57-2 arrived 1977-78
35 x BMD-1 in 1977.
35 x ASU-57 in 1977.

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

SIPRI relies on all countries to abide by all UN and and other arms treaties agreed to, this is why they put what they did as highlighted below. This indicates there at least was some discussion of an arms trade. That being said, it also leaves it open that either Belarus, Finland and the Ukraine (The only known "export" customers.) could've sold it to them as well, tough unlikely. It fell through at some point. My search went from 1996-2002. It is possible, that the deal was terminated beyond 2002 even, as at times if SIPRI gets that information they generally will add to the database for the affected year for the countries involved to cover other issues as well in arms trade.

I agree, they don't have them and never received them.
(20) 2S19 MSTA-S 152mmSelf-propelled gun (1998) 1999 (20)
(10) 2S5 152mm Self-propelled gun (1998) 1999 (10) Possibly ex-Russian

May I also offer the following website as their focus is Africa.
https://www.defenceweb.co.za/categor...an-militaries/

And yes Ethiopia is missing from the above. All African countries are covered in the "NEWS BY COUNTRY" tab.

This has made my life a little easier concerning work on that Continent along with other resources.

Felt I needed to post the above because quite frankly most people don't take to time to read the "nuts and bolts" parts of the SIPRI website to understand how they work etc. They play a large part in my work, however, they are just another "cog" in the machine.

Regards,
Pat

[MarkSheppard]

Originally Posted by FASTBOAT TOUGH

I agree, they don't have them and never received them.
(20) 2S19 MSTA-S 152mmSelf-propelled gun (1998) 1999 (20)
(10) 2S5 152mm Self-propelled gun (1998) 1999 (10) Possibly ex-Russian

I don't know, they definitely have 2S19:

https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/co...thiopian_2s19/

https://euro-sd.com/2020/03/news/168...nal-customers/

According to military records, about 520 units are in service with the Russian Army and Marines, with more than 150 units stored in the depots of the Russian MoD. Several former Soviet republics also employ 2S19s, including Azerbaijan (18 units), Belarus (12) and Ukraine (35). The second major international user of 2S19 is Venezuela with 48 units, while the first MENA [Middle-East North Africa] operators are Morocco and Ethiopia.

What I meant was the 2S5 152mm SPG; it looks to me that Russia loaned/sold a few 2S5 to Ethiopia to help Ethiopia start up a heavy 152mm SPH unit to gain organizational experience in operating them, and then replaced the 2S5 with 2S19 as refurbished/new units became available.

DRG, regarding for ETHIOPIA:

Doing some digging turned up this article:

https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Por..._Vol31_No1.pdf
Air Power Review: Nov-DEC 1979 in "The Soviet-Ethiopan Liason: Airlift and Beyond"

Basically, the Soviet Airlift to Ethiopia began on the night of 28 November 1977, and within 60 days of the airlift beginning, 50 flights were flown from Southern Russia to Ethiopia's Capital.

So you can use January 1978 as a "Start" point for much of the Soviet supplied gear.

REGARDING:

100 x BTR-40 in 1977-78 (still in service 1980, no longer by 1990-91 according to IISS Military Balance)
10 x ZSU-57-2 arrived 1977-78 (still in service 1980, no longer by 1990-91 according to IISS Military Balance)

I think by 1985 or 1988, the BTR-40 is out of service due to low maintenance standards, or it being so horribly obsolete that once the immediate threat of a Somalian war was over, they were retired in favor of BTR-152 or BTR-60.

As for the ZSU-57-2, same thing -- used during the immediate Somalia-Ethiopian war when they needed as many SP-AA vehicles as possible.

But immediately post-war, when they were looking at their SP AA park:

60 x ZSU-23-4 Shilka
10 x ZSU-57-2

They standardized on the Shilka as it had has much better fire control, making it more useful against fast jets.

And when they looked at using it the ZSU-57-2 as a ground support fire vehicle in direct fire against enemy strongholds....it was about the size of a T-54 (being built on a lightened version of the T-54 chassis)...why do that, when you can get 200 x T-54 or 200 x T-55 with a much more efficient and powerful 100mm gun, full armored enclosed turret etc?

REGARDING:

25 x PT-76 in 1977-78
35 x BMD-1 in 1977.
35 x ASU-57 in 1977.

SIPRI has them in their trade registers as being received by Ethiopia; but...IISS military balance 1979-1980 and 1981-82 doesn't show them on the rolls.

What I think happened is that shortly after the Ethiopian victory, all three of them were either:

Washed through illegal trades to other African Countries/Groups (likely for PT-76) through the Cubans.
Withdrawn to Soviet Union (Likely for BMD-1 or ASU-57)

I have my own strong suspicions that much of the Ethiopian T-62s (At least in the 1977-78 Ogaden war) were actually being operated by Cubans (who had the T-62 as well); since the Cubans also had many T-55 equipped tank-brigades in the area.

[MarkSheppard]

OBAT 061 - Nigeria

LINK

On January 8, 2021, the Nigerian army in the north-east of the country launched a large-scale counter-terrorist operation called "Tura Takai Bango" against the militants of Boko , BMPD reports. In particular, Chinese-made NORINCO VT4 tanks, ST1 wheeled tanks and SH5 105-mm self-propelled artillery units manufactured by Norinco are taking part in the operation. This represents the first combat use of the VT4.


Nigerian VT4


Nigerian ST1 (Type 08)


Nigerian SH5 SPHs

[miq]

Mozambique (obat081) has plane icons for two scout units: 068 and 070.

[DRG]

Even given the size of the DB in the games it is still surprising that a mistype --- ( PIC/LBM ( NOT "icon" )) that was supposed to be 11109 and those two ended up 25109 and it's been like that for AT LEAST seventeen years.

Now corrected