{{Infobox national military
| name = Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea
| native_name =
| image = Coat of arms of Equatorial Guinea.svg
| alt =
| caption = Coat of arms of Equatorial Guinea
| image2 =
| alt2 =
| caption2 =
| motto =
| founded =
| current_form =
| disbanded =
| branches = Army of Equatorial GuineaNavy of Equatorial GuineaAir Force of Equatorial Guinea
| headquarters =
| website =
| commander-in-chief = Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
| commander-in-chief_title = Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and State Security
| chief minister =
| chief minister_title =
| minister = General Antonio Mba Nguema
| minister_title = Minister of Defence
| chief_of_staff =
| chief_of_staff_title =
| commander =
| commander_title =
| age =
| conscription = 18 years of age, 2 years selective compulsory service
| active = 2,400
| ranked =
| reserve =
| deployed =
| amount =
| percent_GDP = 0.1% (2006 est.)
| domestic_suppliers =
| foreign_suppliers = United States Russia Czech Republic China Belgium South Africa North Korea Israel
| imports =
| exports =
| history =
| ranks = Military ranks of Equatorial Guinea
}}
The Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea (; ; ) consists of approximately 2,500 service members. The army has almost 1,400 soldiers, the navy 200 service members, and the air force about 120 members. There is also a gendarmerie, but the number of members is unknown. The Gendarmerie is a new branch of the service in which training and education is being supported by the French Military Cooperation in Equatorial Guinea. Military appointments are all reviewed by President Teodoro Obiang, and few of the native militiamen come from outside of Obiang's Mongomo-based Esangui clan. Obiang was a general when he overthrew his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema.
History
thumb|left|Map of Equatorial Guinea elaborated by CIA in 1992.
The Armed Forces were reorganized in 1979. In 1988, the United States donated a 68-foot patrol boat to the Equatoguinean navy to patrol its exclusive economic zone. The U.S. patrol boat Isla de Bioko is no longer operational.U.S. Department of State, Equatorial Guinea Background Note 01/02 U.S. military-to-military engagement has been dormant since 1997 (the year of the last Joint Combined Exchange Training exercise). Between 1984 and 1992, service members went regularly to the United States on the International Military Education Training program, after which funding for this program for Equatorial Guinea ceased. The government spent 6.5% of its annual budget on defense in 2000 and 4.5% of its budget on defense in 2001. It recently acquired some Chinese artillery pieces, some Ukrainian patrol boats, and some Ukrainian helicopter gunships. Cooper and Weinert 2010 says that all aircraft are based on the military side of Malabo International Airport.Cooper and Weinert 2010, p142
In 2002, an International Consortium of Investigative Journalists report said:
Equipment
Armour
thumb|A T-55 Main Battle Tank
{| class="wikitable"
! style="text-align:center; background:#aabccc;"|Name
! style="text-align: center; background:#aabccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align:l center; background:#aabccc;"|Type
! style="text-align:l center; background:#aabccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: center; background:#aabccc;"|Notes
|-
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Armored fighting vehicle
|-
| T-55
| Soviet Union
| Main battle tank
| 3
|
|-
| BRDM-2
| Soviet Union
| Armored scout car
| 6
|
|-
| BMP-1
| Soviet Union
| IFV
| 20
| Acquired from the Czech Republic in 2007.
|-
| BTR-152
| Soviet Union
| Armoured personnel carrier
| 10
|
|-
| Reva
| South Africa
| Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected
| 25
|
|-
| WZ-551
| China
| IFV
|
| Unknown number, IFV, recovery and fire-support variants seen.
|-
| Pantsir-S1
| Russia
| Anti-aircraft artillery
| 2Equatorial Guinea buys Pantsir S1 Air Defense SystemArmy-2017: Equatorial Guinea purchases two KBP's Pantsir-S1 air defense systems 2508172
|
|-
|}
thumb|An RPG-7 Rocket-propelled grenade launcher
Small arms
{| class="wikitable"
! style="text-align:center; background:#aabccc;"|Name
! style="text-align: center; background:#aabccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: center; background:#aabccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: center; background:#aabccc;"|Notes
|-
|AKM
|Soviet Union
|Assault rifle
|
|-
|FN FAL
|Belgium
|Battle rifle
|
|-
|RPD
|Soviet Union
|Light machine gun
|
|-
|RPG-7
|Soviet Union
|Rocket-propelled grenade
|
|-
|Type 56
|China
|Assault rifle
|
|-
|SKS/Type 56 Carbine
|Soviet Union/China
|Semi-automatic carbine
|
|}
Aircraft
The Equatorial Guinea Air Corps was founded in 1979 with mainly French and Spanish air frames. In 2005, 4 Su 25s including 2 Su-25UB combat trainers were delivered to the Equatorial Guinea Air Corps. The current status of the aircraft is unknown."Equatorial Guinea National Guard". Scramble.nl. Retrieved: 3 January 2009. In 2015 two CASA C-295 (one transport and one surveillance) aircraft were ordered for delivery from September 2016.
thumb|An Antonov An-72P on lift off
Current inventory
{| class="wikitable"
! style="background:#acc;" |Aircraft
! style="background:#acc;" |Origin
! style="background:#acc;" |Type
! style="background:#acc;" |Variant
! style="background:#acc;" |In service
! style="background:#acc;" |Notes
|-
! colspan="7" style="align: center; background: lavender;" |Combat aircraft
|-
|Sukhoi Su-25
|Russia
|attack
|
|4
|
|-
! colspan="7" style="align: center; background: lavender;" |Transport
|-
|Ilyushin Il-76
|Soviet Union
|heavy transport
|
|1
|
|-
|Antonov AN-12
|Soviet Union
|heavy transport
|
|1
|
|-
|Antonov An-72
|Soviet Union
|transport
|An-72P
|2
|
|-
|Let L-410 Turbolet
|Czech Republic
|transport
|
|2
|
|-
|Antonov An-32
|Soviet Union
|transport
|An-32B
|1
|
|-
|Dassault Falcon 900
|France
|VIP transport
|
|1
|
|-
! colspan="7" style="align: center; background: lavender;" |Helicopters
|-
|Mil Mi-24
|Soviet Union
|attack
|Mi-24P/V
|7
|
|-
|Kamov Ka-27
|Russia
|utility
|Ka-29
|1
|
|-
|Mil Mi-26
|Russia
|utility / transport
|
|1
|
|-
|Mil Mi-17
|Soviet Union
|utility
|
|1
|
|-
|Harbin Z-9
|China
|utility
|Z-9WE
|2Las Fuerzas Armadas de Guinea Ecuatorial se dotan con dos helicópteros chinos Harbin Z-9
|
|-
|Bell 206
|United States
|utility
|
|1
|
|-
|Enstrom 480
|United States
|utility
|
|1
|
|-
! colspan="7" style="align: center; background: lavender;" |Trainer aircraft
|-
|Aero L-39
|Czech Republic
|jet trainer
|
|2
|
|}
Navy
thumb|Joint U.S.-Equatorial Guinea naval exercises off the coast of Equatorial Guinea on February 2, 2008. Behind the American landing craft 1655 sail three Guinean patrol boats, the first being the patrol boat Daphne and the other two being Isla de Corisco and Isla de Annobon.
The Equatorial Guinean main task is to counter piracy and robbery at sea. In July 2010, after the visit of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, an order for a Barroso-class corvette was announced. However, no further news has been announced. On 3 June 2014, the frigate Wele Nzas was commissioned and became the navy's flagship.
{| class="wikitable"
! style="text-align:center; background:#aabccc;"|Vessel
! style="text-align: center; background:#aabccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align:l center; background:#aabccc;"|Type
! style="text-align:l center; background:#aabccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: center; background:#aabccc;"|Notes
|-
| Wele Nzas (F073)
| Bulgaria
| Frigate
|1
| Ukrainian designed - modified locally
|-
| Bata
| Bulgaria
| Corvette
|1
|Ukrainian design
|-
| PV-50
| Ukraine
| Patrol vessel
|2
|
|-
| Isla de Corisco
| Israel
| Patrol boat
|1
|
|-
| Isla de Annobon
| Israel
| Patrol boat
|1
|Shaldag class
|-
| Sa'ar 4 class
| Israel
| Patrol boat
|2
|
|-
| Osa
| China
| Landing ship
|1
| Salamandra class
|-
| Daphne
| Denmark
| Patrol boat
|1
|
|}
Higher education and training
On 6 November 2016, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces deployed a training contingent to the Equatorial Guinea to train the country's military officers on operational and logistic matters following an urgent request by the West African country. The security personnel contingent is composed of members of the Zimbabwe National Army and Air Force of Zimbabwe. In 2018, 28 graduates from the military received diplomas from the Nakhimov Naval Academy in Sevastopol.
Notes
References
Further reading
- Cooper, Tom & Weinert, Peter (2010). African MiGs: Volume I: Angola to Ivory Coast. Harpia Publishing LLC. .
- Jeremy Binnie, 'Boom Time – Equatorial Guinea,' Jane's Defence Weekly, 30 May 2012.
- Рост военно-морской мощи Экваториальной Гвинеи и украинские корни этого роста (The growth of Equatorial Guinea's naval power and the Ukrainian roots of this growth)