24/7 Wall St. Insights:
- African nations have been building up their military arsenals with multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) units in recent years
- South Africa developed its own MLRS system based on the Soviet BM-21 Grad
- Egypt owns one of the more advanced systems in the BM-30 Smerch
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In recent years, African nations have been building up their military arsenals, particularly focusing on modernizing artillery systems. A significant part of this involves incorporating multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), which are used by many of the strongest militaries on the planet. These new weapons systems offer a sizable increase in firepower while not being slowed down by the mobility of traditional artillery units. (These are the 39 most important rocket launchers of the last 100 years.)
South Africa ranks fairly high among African nations for its stock of MLRS. In fact, it has even developed its own variant based on the Soviet BM-21 Grad. South Africa’s BM-21 Valkiri is a 127mm MLRS with a range of roughly 22 miles. What makes this unit impressive is that it is capable of firing 40 rockets in less than 20 seconds.
At the same time, Egypt, one of Africa’s strongest military powers, has incorporated an even more sophisticated Russian system, the BM-30 Smerch. This MLRS can launch 300mm rockets over a distance of up to 56 miles.
Ultimately, the integration of these MLRS allow for untold reach on the battlefield. And it goes without saying that the countries that employ these systems will hold a distinct advantage over their rivals.
African countries like Egypt, Algeria, Sudan, and South Africa are known for their military strength. They owe is in part to their employment of these advanced MLRS systems, giving them enough reach to safeguard their borders. (These are the strongest militaries in Africa.)
24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the military arsenals across Africa. To identify the African countries with the most MLRS units, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Countries were ranked on the total number of MLRS in their arsenal. We included supplemental information regarding the total military vehicles, artillery and tanks, as well as each country’s overall military strength score. Nations that do not have any MLRS in their arsenal were excluded.
Here is a look at the African countries with the most MLRS:
Why Are We Covering This?
Understanding the military dynamics of Africa is important due to the continent’s strategic geopolitical significance. The continent is known for some instability, and military power is one way of ensuring stability both political and economical. Many of these African nations are growing rapidly and the continued stability of this region is crucial.
26. Burkina Faso
- Total MLRS: 5
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 12
- Total military vehicles: 1,112
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.8501 – #127 out of 145
25. Senegal
- Total MLRS: 6
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 20
- Total military vehicles: 1,104
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.9117 – #130 out of 145
24. Ivory Coast
- Total MLRS: 6
- Total tanks: 10
- Total artillery: 4
- Total military vehicles: 476
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.9869 – #98 out of 145
23. Namibia
- Total MLRS: 7
- Total tanks: 7
- Total artillery: 50
- Total military vehicles: 2,674
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.7652 – #124 out of 145
22. South Sudan
- Total MLRS: 10
- Total tanks: 55
- Total artillery: 20
- Total military vehicles: 1,920
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.4376 – #119 out of 145
21. Uganda
- Total MLRS: 12
- Total tanks: 130
- Total artillery: 32
- Total military vehicles: 3,162
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.2405 – #114 out of 145
20. Mozambique
- Total MLRS: 12
- Total tanks: 60
- Total artillery: 104
- Total military vehicles: 872
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.8377 – #92 out of 145
19. Ghana
- Total MLRS: 15
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 6
- Total military vehicles: 1,656
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.2358 – #113 out of 145
18. Botswana
- Total MLRS: 20
- Total tanks: 20
- Total artillery: 48
- Total military vehicles: 587
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.8353 – #126 out of 145
17. Cameroon
- Total MLRS: 20
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 70
- Total military vehicles: 850
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.0599 – #104 out of 145
16. Chad
- Total MLRS: 21
- Total tanks: 90
- Total artillery: 25
- Total military vehicles: 1,568
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.8607 – #93 out of 145
15. Mali
- Total MLRS: 25
- Total tanks: 20
- Total artillery: 10
- Total military vehicles: 647
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.1115 – #106 out of 145
14. Gabon
- Total MLRS: 28
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 4
- Total military vehicles: 848
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.9517 – #132 out of 145
13. Zambia
- Total MLRS: 35
- Total tanks: 38
- Total artillery: 46
- Total military vehicles: 506
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.9851 – #97 out of 145
12. Nigeria
- Total MLRS: 37
- Total tanks: 343
- Total artillery: 371
- Total military vehicles: 6,404
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.5619 – #39 out of 145
11. Democratic Republic of Congo
- Total MLRS: 50
- Total tanks: 210
- Total artillery: 135
- Total military vehicles: 458
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.2491 – #73 out of 145
10. Libya
- Total MLRS: 55
- Total tanks: 300
- Total artillery: 75
- Total military vehicles: 2,890
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.4449 – #79 out of 145
9. Republic of the Congo
- Total MLRS: 72
- Total tanks: 32
- Total artillery: 37
- Total military vehicles: 519
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.7282 – #122 out of 145
8. Ethiopia
- Total MLRS: 79
- Total tanks: 680
- Total artillery: 713
- Total military vehicles: 10,028
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.7938 – #49 out of 145
7. South Africa
- Total MLRS: 101
- Total tanks: 195
- Total artillery: 153
- Total military vehicles: 12,140
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.4632 – #33 out of 145
6. Angola
- Total MLRS: 123
- Total tanks: 310
- Total artillery: 580
- Total military vehicles: 5,500
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.8702 – #55 out of 145
5. Morocco
- Total MLRS: 208
- Total tanks: 1,564
- Total artillery: 871
- Total military vehicles: 13,710
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.0081 – #61 out of 145
4. Eritrea
- Total MLRS: 219
- Total tanks: 1,756
- Total artillery: 210
- Total military vehicles: 3,512
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.4152 – #117 out of 145
3. Algeria
- Total MLRS: 236
- Total tanks: 1,632
- Total artillery: 707
- Total military vehicles: 35,990
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.3589 – #26 out of 145
2. Sudan
- Total MLRS: 343
- Total tanks: 233
- Total artillery: 200
- Total military vehicles: 3,648
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.4119 – #76 out of 145
1. Egypt
- Total MLRS: 1,119
- Total tanks: 5,340
- Total artillery: 3,046
- Total military vehicles: 77,596
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.2283 – #15 out of 145
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