How North African Nations Lead the Continent in Artillery Firepower

By Chris Lange Published Sep 27, 7:23AM EDT

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How North African Nations Lead the Continent in Artillery Firepower — © Denel T5 (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Spore1200

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Libya tanks | A T-55 tank destroyed by NATO forces in the desert north of Ajadabiya, 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

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

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

African Lion 21 by Georgia National Guard

African Lion 21 (CC BY 2.0) by Georgia National Guard

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

Egypt+tanks | Egyptian National Military Museum, Cairo

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

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.