Royal Bahraini Army
| Royal Bahraini Army الجيش البحريني الملكي | |
|---|---|
|
Flag of the Royal Bahraini Army | |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Country |
 Bahrain |
| Allegiance |
 King of Bahrain |
| Branch | Army |
| Role | Ground warfare |
| Size | 6,000 personnel |
| Part of |
 Bahrain Defense Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Manama |
| Engagements |
2011 Bahrain protests Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Khalifa bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa |
Royal Bahraini Army is the ground force component of the Bahrain Defence Force. The army's current strength is 6,000 personnel and headed by Lieutenant General Khalifa bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa.
History
Bahraini ground troops took part in the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war. In September 2015, five Bahraini soldiers guarding the Yemeni-Saudi Arabian border were killed in unspecified circumstances.[1]
Formation
The army consists of 3 brigades and 2 battalions:
- 1 Armoured Brigade
- 2 armoured battalions
- 1 recon battalion
- 1 Mechanized Infantry Brigade
- 2 mechanized infantry battalions
- 1 infantry battalion
- 1 Artillery Brigade
- 6 artillery batteries
- 1 air defence battalion
- 1 special forces battalion
Equipment
RBA has a mix of equipment purchases in the 1970s and early 1990s. They are currently modernizing some of the army's equipment. Most purchases in the past have been second hand from the United States or Britain.
Heavy Armour
| Type/Class | Quantity | Origin | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| YPR-765 Infantry Fighting Vehicles | 25 | Netherlands | Dutch variant of US AIFV |
| M60 A3 Patton Main battle tanks | 180 | United States | |
| M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers | 110 | United States | |
| Panhard M3 Armoured Personnel Carriers | 110 | France | |
| AML-90 Recon Vehicles | 22 | France | |
| AT105 Saxon | 10 | UK | purchased in the 1980s |
Artillery
| Type/Class | Quantity | Origin | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 203mm M110 Self-propelled howitzer | 13 | United States | |
| 155mm M-198 A1 howitzers | 18 | United States | |
| 105mm L-118 Light Gun | 8 | UK | |
| M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System | 9 | United States | |
| SR5 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) | 4? | China | [2] |
| BGM-71C TOW Anti-Tank Missile System | 15 | United States | |
| FIM-92A Stinger Weapons System | 18 | United States | |
| Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon | 15 | Switzerland | GDF-005 units |
| Bofors 40 mm L70 Air Defence Gun | 12 | Sweden | |
| RBS 70 SAM | 60 | Sweden | |
| Crotale SAM | 7 | France | |
| MIM-23 Hawk SAM | 8 | United States |
Weapons
| Type/Class | Quantity | Origin | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| M16 rifle assault rifles | ? | United States | |
| M4 carbine assault rifle | ? | United States | |
| Barrett M82 anti material rifle | ? | United States | |
| Heckler & Koch MP5 | ? | Germany |
Additional equipment on order by the army include:
| Type/Class | Quantity | Origin | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| FGM-148 Javelin | 60 | United States | 180 missiles |
| Nimer-1 MRAP (armored vehicle) | 6 | Oman | |
| Otokar Arma armoured combat vehicle | ? | Turkey | $63.2 million order[3] |
| Kornet-EM | ? | Russia |
Retired equipment were made in the 1950s and 1960s:
| Type/Class | Quantity | Origin | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferret Armoured Fighting Vehicle | 10 | UK | |
| Alvis Saladin | 10 | UK |
Sources
- ↑ UAE, Bahrain lose 50 troops on black day for Yemen coalition. Dawn News. 5 September 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
- ↑ http://defence-blog.com/news/royal-bahraini-army-gets-chinese-sr5-multiple-launch-rocket-systems.html
- ↑ http://www.dmilt.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1929:bahrain-turkish-arma-ifv-contract-signed&catid=3:asia&Itemid=56