African Nations Are Building Up Their MLRS Arsenals

By Chris Lange Published Aug 22, 10:50AM EDT

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African Nations Are Building Up Their MLRS Arsenals — © Courtesy of Lockheed Martin via Army.mil

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
Also: Discover the next Nvidia

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

Burkina+Faso+military | 190216-A-XR613-421

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

Ivory+Coast+military | Malawi Defence Force receives vital Combat Life Saver training

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

Democratic+Republic+of+Congo+military | MEDFLAG 2010, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, September 2010

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

Angola military | Angolan military force, army or war concept. 3D rendering isolated on white background

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

About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.