Self-propelled artillery is not as heavily armored as tanks. Designed to fight from behind the front lines, while tanks are meant to take the brunt of the combat, self-propelled artillery plays an important role in providing indirect fire support from a distance. Although the United States has one of the strongest militaries in the world, the country does not lead the way in the amount of self-propelled artillery. Instead, the focus for the US has turned to longer-range artillery shells that can strike at further distances and employ advanced technologies. (Also see the fastest military tanks in US history.)
To identify the countries with the most self-propelled artillery, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 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 self-propelled artillery in their arsenal. We included supplemental information regarding the total number of military vehicles, tanks, and MLRS units, as well as each country’s overall military strength score.
Why Are We Covering This?
Self-propelled artillery is important in modern warfare because it combines mobility and firepower. Unlike towed artillery, these units can move independently, making it easier to avoid enemy attacks. Many countries have invested heavily in these units, and understanding which countries have the most gives further context to modern military strategy.
Here is a look at the countries with the most self-propelled artillery.
30. India
- Self-propelled artillery: 140
- Towed artillery: 3,243
- Total artillery: 3,383
- Total military vehicles: 151,248
- Total tanks: 4,614
- Total MLRS: 702
- Military strength score: 0.1023 – #4 – out of 145
29. Indonesia
- Self-propelled artillery: 153
- Towed artillery: 414
- Total artillery: 567
- Total military vehicles: 11,604
- Total tanks: 313
- Total MLRS: 63
- Military strength score: 0.2251 – #13 – out of 145
28. Brazil
- Self-propelled artillery: 172
- Towed artillery: 460
- Total artillery: 632
- Total military vehicles: 44,044
- Total tanks: 469
- Total MLRS: 78
- Military strength score: 0.1944 – #12 – out of 145
27. Japan
- Self-propelled artillery: 173
- Towed artillery: 480
- Total artillery: 653
- Total military vehicles: 37,662
- Total tanks: 518
- Total MLRS: 54
- Military strength score: 0.1601 – #7 – out of 145
26. Vietnam
- Self-propelled artillery: 180
- Towed artillery: 700
- Total artillery: 880
- Total military vehicles: 18,578
- Total tanks: 2,029
- Total MLRS: 450
- Military strength score: 0.3158 – #22 – out of 145
25. United Arab Emirates
- Self-propelled artillery: 183
- Towed artillery: 99
- Total artillery: 282
- Total military vehicles: 12,253
- Total tanks: 354
- Total MLRS: 162
- Military strength score: 0.8083 – #51 – out of 145
24. Jordan
- Self-propelled artillery: 199
- Towed artillery: 84
- Total artillery: 283
- Total military vehicles: 24,148
- Total tanks: 1,365
- Total MLRS: 88
- Military strength score: 1.4651 – #80 – out of 145
23. Myanmar
- Self-propelled artillery: 215
- Towed artillery: 1,868
- Total artillery: 2,083
- Total military vehicles: 8,139
- Total tanks: 705
- Total MLRS: 586
- Military strength score: 0.5251 – #35 – out of 145
22. Algeria
- Self-propelled artillery: 224
- Towed artillery: 483
- Total artillery: 707
- Total military vehicles: 35,990
- Total tanks: 1,632
- Total MLRS: 236
- Military strength score: 0.3589 – #26 – out of 145
21. Kazakhstan
- Self-propelled artillery: 246
- Towed artillery: 450
- Total artillery: 696
- Total military vehicles: 6,012
- Total tanks: 300
- Total MLRS: 407
- Military strength score: 0.9495 – #58 – out of 145
20. Iraq
- Self-propelled artillery: 281
- Towed artillery: 1,446
- Total artillery: 1,727
- Total military vehicles: 39,872
- Total tanks: 848
- Total MLRS: 425
- Military strength score: 0.7441 – #45 – out of 145
19. Azerbaijan
- Self-propelled artillery: 294
- Towed artillery: 300
- Total artillery: 594
- Total military vehicles: 29,312
- Total tanks: 920
- Total MLRS: 218
- Military strength score: 0.9934 – #59 – out of 145
18. Syria
- Self-propelled artillery: 295
- Towed artillery: 2,400
- Total artillery: 2,695
- Total military vehicles: 14,550
- Total tanks: 2,720
- Total MLRS: 614
- Military strength score: 1.0026 – #60 – out of 145
17. Taiwan
- Self-propelled artillery: 300
- Towed artillery: 1,120
- Total artillery: 1,420
- Total military vehicles: 19,868
- Total tanks: 1,010
- Total MLRS: 223
- Military strength score: 0.3302 – #24 – out of 145
16. Belarus
- Self-propelled artillery: 369
- Towed artillery: 170
- Total artillery: 539
- Total military vehicles: 6,700
- Total tanks: 517
- Total MLRS: 206
- Military strength score: 1.0901 – #64 – out of 145
15. Poland
- Self-propelled artillery: 525
- Towed artillery: 0
- Total artillery: 525
- Total military vehicles: 13,956
- Total tanks: 612
- Total MLRS: 211
- Military strength score: 0.2917 – #21 – out of 145
14. Morocco
- Self-propelled artillery: 565
- Towed artillery: 306
- Total artillery: 871
- Total military vehicles: 13,710
- Total tanks: 1,564
- Total MLRS: 208
- Military strength score: 1.0081 – #61 – out of 145
13. Iran
- Self-propelled artillery: 580
- Towed artillery: 2,050
- Total artillery: 2,630
- Total military vehicles: 65,765
- Total tanks: 1,996
- Total MLRS: 775
- Military strength score: 0.2269 – #14 – out of 145
12. Greece
- Self-propelled artillery: 589
- Towed artillery: 729
- Total artillery: 1,318
- Total military vehicles: 57,030
- Total tanks: 1,365
- Total MLRS: 152
- Military strength score: 0.4349 – #32 – out of 145
11. Israel
- Self-propelled artillery: 650
- Towed artillery: 300
- Total artillery: 950
- Total military vehicles: 43,407
- Total tanks: 1,370
- Total MLRS: 150
- Military strength score: 0.2596 – #17 – out of 145
10. Pakistan
- Self-propelled artillery: 752
- Towed artillery: 3,238
- Total artillery: 3,990
- Total military vehicles: 50,523
- Total tanks: 3,742
- Total MLRS: 602
- Military strength score: 0.1711 – #9 – out of 145
9. Turkey
- Self-propelled artillery: 1,038
- Towed artillery: 1,747
- Total artillery: 2,785
- Total military vehicles: 55,104
- Total tanks: 2,231
- Total MLRS: 286
- Military strength score: 0.1697 – #8 – out of 145
8. Ukraine
- Self-propelled artillery: 1,205
- Towed artillery: 1,012
- Total artillery: 2,217
- Total military vehicles: 22,110
- Total tanks: 1,777
- Total MLRS: 491
- Military strength score: 0.2598 – #18 – out of 145
7. Saudi Arabia
- Self-propelled artillery: 1,236
- Towed artillery: 2,017
- Total artillery: 3,253
- Total military vehicles: 20,694
- Total tanks: 1,485
- Total MLRS: 490
- Military strength score: 0.3235 – #23 – out of 145
6. Egypt
- Self-propelled artillery: 1,489
- Towed artillery: 1,557
- Total artillery: 3,046
- Total military vehicles: 77,596
- Total tanks: 5,340
- Total MLRS: 1,119
- Military strength score: 0.2283 – #15 – out of 145
5. United States
- Self-propelled artillery: 1,595
- Towed artillery: 1,267
- Total artillery: 2,862
- Total military vehicles: 360,069
- Total tanks: 4,657
- Total MLRS: 694
- Military strength score: 0.0699 – #1 – out of 145
4. South Korea
- Self-propelled artillery: 3,189
- Towed artillery: 4,863
- Total artillery: 8,052
- Total military vehicles: 66,492
- Total tanks: 2,501
- Total MLRS: 581
- Military strength score: 0.1416 – #5 – out of 145
3. China
- Self-propelled artillery: 3,850
- Towed artillery: 1,434
- Total artillery: 5,284
- Total military vehicles: 174,300
- Total tanks: 5,000
- Total MLRS: 3,180
- Military strength score: 0.0706 – #3 – out of 145
2. North Korea
- Self-propelled artillery: 4,500
- Towed artillery: 4,500
- Total artillery: 9,000
- Total military vehicles: 24,696
- Total tanks: 5,845
- Total MLRS: 2,920
- Military strength score: 0.5313 – #36 – out of 145
1. Russia
- Self-propelled artillery: 6,208
- Towed artillery: 8,356
- Total artillery: 14,564
- Total military vehicles: 161,382
- Total tanks: 14,777
- Total MLRS: 3,065
- Military strength score: 0.0702 – #2 – out of 145
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