24/7 Wall St. Insights:
- Egypt stands as the strongest artillery power on the continent with a series of modern self-propelled howitzers, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), and long-range field artillery
- In terms of its artillery, Egypt’s force consists of M109 self-propelled howitzers, BM-21 Grad MLRS units, and T-90 tanks
- Other North African nations, like Algeria and Morocco, are similarly equipped with powerful artillery units, also South Africa has a fairly impressive force as well
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On the African continent, countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea have typically been at the forefront of military might, whether it is air power or ground forces. In this case, these countries absolutely dominate on the artillery front, with a couple exceptions.
Among these nations, Egypt stands as a prime example of a country that has built one of the most powerful artillery arsenals in Africa. Equipped with modern self-propelled howitzers, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), and long-range field artillery, Egypt’s arsenal is not only impressively large but technologically advanced. (This country has built an unmatched artillery arsenal of nearly 15,000 weapons.)
Egypt ranks on the world stage as one of the most powerful militaries on the planet, and a large portion of this strength comes from its ground forces. Chief among these are its tanks and artillery.
At the center of Egypt’s artillery might is its fleet of M109 self-propelled howitzers, which have played a key role in the country’s military for decades. Additionally, Egypt operates a series of BM-21 Grad MLRS units, which are an iconic piece of artillery dating back to the Soviet era. Also the country’s arsenal of T-90 tanks furthers its ground artillery capabilities, as these modern tanks can serve dual roles in both direct combat and fire support.
Other North African nations, like Algeria and Morocco, are similarly equipped with powerful artillery units. Also South Africa ranks fairly high on the continent for its formidable ground forces as well.
While these are just a few nations with fairly impressive artillery arsenals, the rest of the continent is loaded with big guns too. 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the artillery arsenals of the African continent. (The U.S. Army’s longest-range artillery weapons ranked.)
To identify the African countries with the most artillery 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 artillery units in their arsenal. We included supplemental information regarding the total military vehicles, tanks and MLRS units, as well as each country’s overall military strength score. Countries with no artillery were excluded.
Here is a look at the African nations with the most artillery firepower:
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.
28. Gabon
- Total artillery: 4
- Total towed: 4
- Total self-propelled: 0
- Total tanks: 0
- Total military vehicles: 848
- Total MLRS: 28
- Military strength score: 2.9517 – #132 out of 145
27. Ivory Coast
- Total artillery: 4
- Total towed: 4
- Total self-propelled: 0
- Total tanks: 10
- Total military vehicles: 476
- Total MLRS: 6
- Military strength score: 1.9869 – #98 out of 145
26. Ghana
- Total artillery: 6
- Total towed: 6
- Total self-propelled: 0
- Total tanks: 0
- Total military vehicles: 1,656
- Total MLRS: 15
- Military strength score: 2.2358 – #113 out of 145
25. Mali
- Total artillery: 10
- Total towed: 10
- Total self-propelled: 0
- Total tanks: 20
- Total military vehicles: 647
- Total MLRS: 25
- Military strength score: 2.1115 – #106 out of 145
24. Burkina Faso
- Total artillery: 12
- Total towed: 12
- Total self-propelled: 0
- Total tanks: 0
- Total military vehicles: 1,112
- Total MLRS: 5
- Military strength score: 2.8501 – #127 out of 145
23. Senegal
- Total artillery: 20
- Total towed: 20
- Total self-propelled: 0
- Total tanks: 0
- Total military vehicles: 1,104
- Total MLRS: 6
- Military strength score: 2.9117 – #130 out of 145
22. South Sudan
- Total artillery: 20
- Total towed: 0
- Total self-propelled: 20
- Total tanks: 55
- Total military vehicles: 1,920
- Total MLRS: 10
- Military strength score: 2.4376 – #119 out of 145
21. Chad
- Total artillery: 25
- Total towed: 15
- Total self-propelled: 10
- Total tanks: 90
- Total military vehicles: 1,568
- Total MLRS: 21
- Military strength score: 1.8607 – #93 out of 145
20. Uganda
- Total artillery: 32
- Total towed: 26
- Total self-propelled: 6
- Total tanks: 130
- Total military vehicles: 3,162
- Total MLRS: 12
- Military strength score: 2.2405 – #114 out of 145
19. Republic of the Congo
- Total artillery: 37
- Total towed: 35
- Total self-propelled: 2
- Total tanks: 32
- Total military vehicles: 519
- Total MLRS: 72
- Military strength score: 2.7282 – #122 out of 145
18. Zambia
- Total artillery: 46
- Total towed: 40
- Total self-propelled: 6
- Total tanks: 38
- Total military vehicles: 506
- Total MLRS: 35
- Military strength score: 1.9851 – #97 out of 145
17. Botswana
- Total artillery: 48
- Total towed: 36
- Total self-propelled: 12
- Total tanks: 20
- Total military vehicles: 587
- Total MLRS: 20
- Military strength score: 2.8353 – #126 out of 145
16. Namibia
- Total artillery: 50
- Total towed: 50
- Total self-propelled: 0
- Total tanks: 7
- Total military vehicles: 2,674
- Total MLRS: 7
- Military strength score: 2.7652 – #124 out of 145
15. Cameroon
- Total artillery: 70
- Total towed: 52
- Total self-propelled: 18
- Total tanks: 0
- Total military vehicles: 850
- Total MLRS: 20
- Military strength score: 2.0599 – #104 out of 145
14. Kenya
- Total artillery: 71
- Total towed: 53
- Total self-propelled: 18
- Total tanks: 188
- Total military vehicles: 4,856
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 1.7629 – #89 out of 145
13. Libya
- Total artillery: 75
- Total towed: 65
- Total self-propelled: 10
- Total tanks: 300
- Total military vehicles: 2,890
- Total MLRS: 55
- Military strength score: 1.4449 – #79 out of 145
12. Mozambique
- Total artillery: 104
- Total towed: 104
- Total self-propelled: 0
- Total tanks: 60
- Total military vehicles: 872
- Total MLRS: 12
- Military strength score: 1.8377 – #92 out of 145
11. Tunisia
- Total artillery: 108
- Total towed: 60
- Total self-propelled: 48
- Total tanks: 140
- Total military vehicles: 6,400
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 1.2881 – #74 out of 145
10. Democratic Republic of Congo
- Total artillery: 135
- Total towed: 120
- Total self-propelled: 15
- Total tanks: 210
- Total military vehicles: 458
- Total MLRS: 50
- Military strength score: 1.2491 – #73 out of 145
9. South Africa
- Total artillery: 153
- Total towed: 104
- Total self-propelled: 49
- Total tanks: 195
- Total military vehicles: 12,140
- Total MLRS: 101
- Military strength score: 0.4632 – #33 out of 145
8. Sudan
- Total artillery: 200
- Total towed: 125
- Total self-propelled: 75
- Total tanks: 233
- Total military vehicles: 3,648
- Total MLRS: 343
- Military strength score: 1.4119 – #76 out of 145
7. Eritrea
- Total artillery: 210
- Total towed: 156
- Total self-propelled: 54
- Total tanks: 1,756
- Total military vehicles: 3,512
- Total MLRS: 219
- Military strength score: 2.4152 – #117 out of 145
6. Nigeria
- Total artillery: 371
- Total towed: 339
- Total self-propelled: 32
- Total tanks: 343
- Total military vehicles: 6,404
- Total MLRS: 37
- Military strength score: 0.5619 – #39 out of 145
5. Angola
- Total artillery: 580
- Total towed: 552
- Total self-propelled: 28
- Total tanks: 310
- Total military vehicles: 5,500
- Total MLRS: 123
- Military strength score: 0.8702 – #55 out of 145
4. Algeria
- Total artillery: 707
- Total towed: 483
- Total self-propelled: 224
- Total tanks: 1,632
- Total military vehicles: 35,990
- Total MLRS: 236
- Military strength score: 0.3589 – #26 out of 145
3. Ethiopia
- Total artillery: 713
- Total towed: 648
- Total self-propelled: 65
- Total tanks: 680
- Total military vehicles: 10,028
- Total MLRS: 79
- Military strength score: 0.7938 – #49 out of 145
2. Morocco
- Total artillery: 871
- Total towed: 306
- Total self-propelled: 565
- Total tanks: 1,564
- Total military vehicles: 13,710
- Total MLRS: 208
- Military strength score: 1.0081 – #61 out of 145
1. Egypt
- Total artillery: 3,046
- Total towed: 1,557
- Total self-propelled: 1,489
- Total tanks: 5,340
- Total military vehicles: 77,596
- Total MLRS: 1,119
- Military strength score: 0.2283 – #15 out of 145
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