Angola's military, specifically the Air Force (FAP), operated Fokker F-27s, primarily the F-27 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) variant for coastal surveillance and reconnaissance during the late Cold War era, with one F-27M-200 MPA entering service around 1980, used to...
The Soviet-made ZiS-3 76.2mm divisional gun was used extensively in Angola during the Angolan Civil War and South African Border War, primarily by the MPLA/FAPLA (Soviet/Cuban allies) against UNITA and South African forces, where its reliability and effectiveness made...
As of mid-1985, the centrepiece of the Angolan fighter-bomber operations remained the 9th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Regimento Aéreo de Caҫa, RAC). Established on 23 July 1984, and headquartered at Lubango AB, this regiment consisted of one operational conversion unit...
The BRDM-1 (Bronirovannaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina, meaning "Armored Reconnaissance/Patrol Vehicle") was a Soviet-designed vehicle manufactured from 1957 to 1966. Angola acquired approximately 120 BRDM-1 units from the Soviet Union. Amphibious capability:...
The BRDM-2 (Boyevaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina-2) is a Soviet-era amphibious armored scout car that saw significant use in the Angolan Civil War (1975-2002) by Soviet-aligned forces, including the Angolan Army (FAPLA) and Cuban troops, primarily for...
On 30 September 1985 the Angolan and Cuban forces operating in Angola suffered a spate of helicopter losses that effected their ability to support their troops. For a long time they were not able to understand what had happened to their valuable helicopters and...
The GAZ-66 truck was extensively used in Angola and Mozambique, primarily by the Soviet-backed liberation movements and later the national armies (MPLA in Angola, FRELIMO in Mozambique) during their respective wars of independence and subsequent civil wars. The...
Lubango, March 1986. Maj Eduardo Gonzalez directing preparations for the MiG-23 ferry flights from Lubango to Huambo, to position for the C-130 interception missions
Capt Raul Rubio strapping into the front seat of a MiG-23UB for a night-training flight during March 1986
The T-54/55 was a primary main battle tank used by Angolan and Cuban forces in the Southern African conflict (South African Border War). These tanks frequently engaged the South African Defence Force's (SADF) lighter, wheeled armored vehicles, such as the Ratel 90,...
The BTR-152 was a significant, though often vulnerable, piece of military hardware in the Angolan and Mozambican Civil Wars, primarily used by the Soviet-backed government forces of the MPLA and FRELIMO, respectively. Angola In Angola, the BTR-152 was a standard piece...
The M79 is known as the "Snotneus" in South Africa, which translates to "snot-nose," a nickname for the weapon's distinctive appearance and the way its projectiles would land in the field. The M79 was used by the South African Defence Force (SADF) and supplied to...
In the dramatic power struggle for Angola in 1987, South African Air Force Mirage F1s tackled MiG-23s in the skies above south-western Africa. Lionel Reid recounts the story Angola 1987. The Soviet and Angolan MPLA forces decided on an ambitious plan: a large-scale...
One of the last modern conflicts which saw the extensive combat deployment of the T-34-85 was the Angolan Civil War. In 1975, the Soviet Union shipped eighty T-34-85s to Angola as part of its support for the ongoing Cuban military intervention there. Cuban crewmen...
The PT-76 is a Soviet amphibious light tank that was introduced in the early 1950s and soon became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army and the other Warsaw Pact armed forces. It was widely exported to other friendly states, like Angola, India,...
General Arlindo Pena Ben-Ben (17 November 1955 – 19 October 1998) served as the military commander of UNITA. Served as UNITA's army chief and later became chief of staff of the Angolan National Army following a peace settlement.