Conflict catalog

1982 Falklands War: Weapons and Equipment

The 1982 Falklands War was the 1982 undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom over control of the Falkland Islands.

The 1982 Falklands War was a brief undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands and associated territory. It concentrated on air attacks, naval combat, and amphibious operations in the South Atlantic.

This catalog tracks weapon systems directly documented in 1982 Falklands War use.

Entries should be limited to systems with direct conflict-use sourcing.

37 weapon systems

Conflict Actors

Argentina / United Kingdom

Argentina

18 weapon systems in this catalog

United Kingdom

20 weapon systems in this catalog
  • United Kingdom

Context

Status
Published catalog
Domains
air, land, maritime

Weapons

1982 Falklands War Weapon Systems

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

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Aermacchi MB-339, Advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsAermacchi MB-339Advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraftSide: ArgentinaRole: Light attack aircraftBuilt: Aermacchi / ItalyThe Aermacchi MB-339 is an Italian advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft developed by Aermacchi as a successor to the MB-326. Built entirely in Italy, it also served as the MB.339 PAN display aircraft for the Frecce Tricolori and saw combat use with Argentine Naval Aviation in the 1982 Falklands War and the Eritrean Air Force during the 1998 Eritrean-Ethiopian War.
CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Heavy-lift transport helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsCH-47 Chinook helicopterHeavy-lift transport helicopterSide: United KingdomRole: UnknownBuilt: Boeing / United StatesThe Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a U.S. tandem-rotor heavy-lift transport helicopter family used for cargo, troop movement, casualty evacuation, aircraft recovery, and special operations. Official and archival records place Chinooks in Vietnam, the Falklands, Afghanistan, and Iraq, where the type's rear ramp, external sling-load capacity, and high-altitude lift made it a recurring battlefield mobility asset.
Sea King, Multi-role maritime helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSea KingMulti-role maritime helicopterSide: United KingdomRole: Commando helicopter lift and logisticsBuilt: Westland Helicopters / United KingdomThe Sea King is the British-built Westland WS-61, a licensed version of the Sikorsky S-61/SH-3 Sea King that first flew in 1969 and saw more than 340 aircraft delivered. Westland marks covered anti-submarine, airborne surveillance, commando transport, utility, and search-and-rescue work, with documented service from the Falklands War and Gulf War through Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, and Ukraine.
Dassault Mirage III/5, Single-engine delta-wing multirole fighter family, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsDassault Mirage III/5Single-engine delta-wing multirole fighter familySide: ArgentinaRole: Interceptor and strike fighterBuilt: Dassault Aviation / FranceThe Dassault Mirage III/5 is a French single-engine, delta-wing fighter family that evolved from the Mirage III interceptor into the Mirage 5 strike derivative. Exported widely and adapted by multiple air arms, it saw combat from the 1967 Six-Day War and 1969 War of Attrition through the Falklands, Paquisha, 1966 South African Border War, and Pakistan's 2019 air crisis.
Harrier GR3, Strike aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsHarrier GR3Strike aircraftSide: United KingdomRole: Ground attack, interdiction, and reconnaissanceBuilt: Hawker Siddeley / British Aerospace / United KingdomThe Harrier GR3 was a British V/STOL strike and reconnaissance aircraft that developed the RAF's first-generation Harrier into a more capable ground-attack variant. Museum sources describe improved attack sensors, electronic countermeasures, and the Pegasus 103 engine, while IWM and RAF Museum records document No. 1 Squadron GR3 operations from HMS Hermes and the Port San Carlos forward strip during the 1982 Falklands War.
SA 330 Puma, Twin-engine medium-lift utility helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSA 330 PumaTwin-engine medium-lift utility helicopterSide: ArgentinaRole: Argentine transport and liaison helicopterBuilt: Aerospatiale / Westland Helicopters / IAR / France / United Kingdom / RomaniaThe SA 330 Puma is a French-designed twin-engine medium-lift helicopter family built for troop transport, casualty evacuation, logistics, search-and-rescue, and utility missions. Cataloged conflict rows cover Argentine Puma use in the Falklands War, RAF support-helicopter use in the Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq, plus Portugal's late-2024 transfer of stored Puma helicopters to Ukrainian forces, while the record separates the original SA 330 family from the later Super Puma/Cougar successor page.

Category

Air Defense

Systems that contest aircraft, missiles, helicopters, and drones.

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Category

Armored Vehicles

Troop carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and protected mobility.

1/1
FV107 Scimitar, Tracked armored reconnaissance vehicle, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesFV107 ScimitarTracked armored reconnaissance vehicleSide: United KingdomRole: Light armored reconnaissance and direct fire supportBuilt: Alvis / BAE Systems / United KingdomThe FV107 Scimitar is a British CVR(T) tracked reconnaissance vehicle built by Alvis around a compact aluminum hull and 30 mm L21 RARDEN cannon. It filled the armed reconnaissance role for British cavalry units in the Falklands, Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan campaigns before upgraded Scimitar Mk 2 vehicles appeared in Ukrainian service during the Russia-Ukraine War.

Category

Artillery

Tube artillery, rocket artillery, and long-range ground fires.

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76 mm L23A1 gun, 76 mm low-velocity tank gun, ArtilleryArtillery76 mm L23A1 gun76 mm low-velocity tank gunSide: United KingdomRole: Light armor direct fire supportBuilt: Royal Ordnance / United KingdomThe 76 mm L23A1 gun is a British low-velocity rifled tank gun developed by Royal Ordnance for the FV101 Scorpion and related CVR(T) fire-support vehicles. It was designed as a lighter derivative of the L5A1 with interchangeable fixed ammunition, hydropneumatic recoil, and a practical rate of fire of six rounds per minute, then saw British operational use on Scorpion vehicles in the 1982 Falklands War and 1990 Gulf War.
L118 Light Gun, 105 mm towed light howitzer, ArtilleryArtilleryL118 Light Gun105 mm towed light howitzerSide: United KingdomRole: Expeditionary 105 mm artillery fire supportBuilt: BAE Systems / United KingdomThe L118 Light Gun is a British 105 mm towed howitzer built for airborne, commando, and light-force artillery. It can be towed by a medium-weight vehicle or carried underslung by a Chinook helicopter, and BAE Systems says its 105 mm ammunition family includes HE, illumination, target-marking, smoke, and propelling-charge options. This family record also covers the L119 branch, the NATO/M1-ammunition variant supplied to Ukraine, while the U.S. M119 derivative has its own linked entry.
OTO Melara Mod 56, 105 mm towed pack howitzer, ArtilleryArtilleryOTO Melara Mod 56105 mm towed pack howitzerSide: ArgentinaRole: Argentine light artilleryBuilt: OTO Melara / ItalyThe OTO Melara Mod 56 is an Italian 105 mm pack howitzer built for light, mountain, and airborne artillery. It breaks down into packable loads, fires standard 105 mm ammunition, and became widely exported under designations including the British/Commonwealth L5; documented conflict use ranges from Vietnam, Borneo, and the Falklands to Spanish-supplied guns in Ukraine and captured or improvised Boko Haram systems in Nigeria.
120mm MO-120-AM50, 120 mm smoothbore heavy mortar, ArtilleryArtillery120mm MO-120-AM50120 mm smoothbore heavy mortarSide: ArgentinaRole: Argentine heavy mortar captured as conflict materielBuilt: Brandt / FranceThe 120mm MO-120-AM50 is a French Brandt smoothbore heavy mortar developed after World War II and fielded from the 1950s as a towed, baseplate-fired, or carriage-fired infantry support weapon. It predates the later MO-120 RT rifled mortar family and appears in the catalog through two direct evidence lanes: an Imperial War Museums object record for an Argentine Army Brandt 120 mm mortar captured during the Falklands War, and SIPRI transfer data recording Denmark's 2024 delivery of MW-50 120mm mortars to Ukraine.

Category

Infantry Weapons

Portable weapons used by soldiers and small units.

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FN FAL, 7.62 mm battle rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsFN FAL7.62 mm battle rifleSide: ArgentinaUnited KingdomRole: Infantry rifle and squad automatic rifle on both sidesBuilt: FN Herstal / Various manufacturers / Belgium; licensed production in multiple countriesThe FN FAL is a Belgian 7.62 x 51 mm NATO battle rifle designed at Fabrique Nationale after World War II and adopted or license-produced across many Cold War armies. The cataloged record spans state service, licensed Commonwealth and Argentine derivatives, and later illicit or captured rifles documented in conflicts from the Falklands to Marawi, Boko Haram operations, Haiti, and the Islamic State fight.
FMK-3 submachine gun, 9x19 mm submachine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsFMK-3 submachine gun9x19 mm submachine gunSide: ArgentinaRole: Argentine infantry and commando submachine gunBuilt: Fabricaciones Militares / ArgentinaThe FMK-3 is an Argentine 9x19 mm submachine gun developed by Fabricaciones Militares in the mid-1970s for military and security users. Its compact layout combines blowback, open-bolt operation with a telescoping bolt, magazine-in-grip feed, grip safety, and retractable wire stock; direct museum and specialist sources connect PA3 DM/FMK-3 examples to Argentine use in the 1982 Falklands War.
105 mm M1974 FMK-1 recoilless rifle, 105 mm recoilless rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry Weapons105 mm M1974 FMK-1 recoilless rifle105 mm recoilless rifleSide: ArgentinaRole: Recoilless-rifle fire support and defensive anti-armor weaponBuilt: Fabricaciones Militares / ArgentinaThe 105 mm M1974 FMK-1 is the later standard in Argentina's Czekalski recoilless-rifle family, a heavy smoothbore infantry-support weapon with optical sights, an FAP/FN FAL spotting rifle, and a two-wheel adjustable carriage. Falklands War evidence directly documents the closely related Modelo 1968 Czekalski in Argentine service, while the M1974 designation is best supported as the improved FMK-1 ammunition and export-era standard.
Beretta BM59 rifle, Battle rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsBeretta BM59 rifleBattle rifleSide: ArgentinaRole: Argentine infantry small armBuilt: Beretta / PT Pindad / Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria / Italy / Indonesia / NigeriaThe Beretta BM59 is an Italian selective-fire battle rifle that converted the M1 Garand architecture into a 7.62x51mm NATO, detachable-magazine service rifle. Beretta built the core Italian family, while licensed or locally produced patterns appeared in Indonesia and Nigeria. Direct conflict-use sourcing ties BM59-family rifles to Argentine small arms in the 1982 Falklands War and to criminal-gang firearms in Haiti's current gang conflict.
M67 90 mm recoilless rifle, Crew-served 90 mm recoilless rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsM67 90 mm recoilless rifleCrew-served 90 mm recoilless rifleSide: ArgentinaRole: Argentine fielded support weaponBuilt: U.S. government production / Kia Motors / United States; South KoreaThe M67 is a U.S.-origin 90 mm recoilless rifle built as a crew-served direct-fire weapon for infantry anti-armor, bunker, and antipersonnel missions. Its record spans Australian and U.S. service in Vietnam, U.S. reissue in Afghanistan, Argentine fielding in the Falklands War, South Korean KM67 production, and later 90-RR reporting in the 2017 Battle of Marawi.
MILAN, Man-portable anti-tank guided missile, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsMILANMan-portable anti-tank guided missileSide: United KingdomRole: Infantry bunker-busting supportBuilt: Euromissile / MBDA / France / GermanyMILAN is a Franco-German, wire-guided anti-tank guided missile built around a reusable launch post and disposable missile round. Designed for infantry anti-armor teams, the SACLOS system requires the operator to keep the sight on target while guidance commands travel through a wire link. Its long service record spans Cold War export use, truck-mounted Chadian firepower in 1987, German-supplied Peshmerga launchers in Iraq, Islamic State use documented at Kobane, and French deliveries to Ukraine after Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion.

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

8/10
BL-755 cluster bomb, Air-dropped anti-armor cluster bomb, MunitionsMunitionsBL-755 cluster bombAir-dropped anti-armor cluster bombSide: United KingdomRole: Low-level Harrier cluster-bomb attacksBuilt: Hunting Engineering Ltd / United KingdomThe BL-755 is a British air-dropped anti-armor cluster bomb developed for very-low-level attacks against armored formations and built around a 600 lb dispenser carrying 147 bomblets. The family later included parachute-retarded bomblets and the radar-altimeter RBL755 variant, with direct conflict-use sourcing for British use in the Falklands, Gulf War and Kosovo, and Saudi-led coalition use in Yemen.
AGM-45 Shrike, Air-to-surface anti-radiation missile, MunitionsMunitionsAGM-45 ShrikeAir-to-surface anti-radiation missileSide: United KingdomRole: UnknownBuilt: Texas Instruments and Sperry Rand / Univac / United StatesThe AGM-45 Shrike was a U.S. air-launched anti-radiation missile adapted from the AIM-7 Sparrow to home on hostile radar emissions. It gave Wild Weasel and naval strike crews an early radar-suppression weapon, but its fixed-frequency seekers, narrow field of view, and lack of target memory meant crews had to plan around specific emitters and radar shutdown tactics.
Anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsAnti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileSide: ArgentinaRole: Air-launched maritime strikeBuilt: Various manufacturers / Multiple countriesAnti-ship cruise missiles are guided standoff weapons built to attack warships and high-value surface vessels from aircraft, ships, submarines, and coastal launchers. The class is documented from Falklands War Exocet attacks and Tanker War maritime strikes to Ukrainian Neptune use in the Black Sea, Iraqi Silkworm launches in the 1990 Gulf War, Hezbollah's 2006 C-802 strike, and Houthi launches during the 2023 Red Sea Crisis.
Paveway laser-guided bomb, Laser-guided bomb guidance-kit family, MunitionsMunitionsPaveway laser-guided bombLaser-guided bomb guidance-kit familySide: United KingdomRole: UnknownBuilt: Raytheon / Lockheed Martin / Raytheon UK / United States / United KingdomPaveway is a U.S.-origin family of laser-guided bomb kits that turns conventional gravity bombs into precision air-to-surface weapons by adding a seeker, computer-control group, and airfoil surfaces. Raytheon traces production to 1968, while later Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon UK lines cover Paveway II, Paveway III, dual-mode Enhanced Paveway, Paveway IV, and Paveway II Plus kits documented in combat-use and transfer records from the Falklands and Gulf War through Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, and Yemen.
Exocet MM38 anti-ship cruise missile, Ship- and ground-launched anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsExocet MM38 anti-ship cruise missileShip- and ground-launched anti-ship cruise missileSide: ArgentinaRole: Improvised coastal anti-ship strikeBuilt: Nord Aviation / Aerospatiale / FranceThe Exocet MM38 is the original French surface-launched Exocet anti-ship cruise missile, developed by Nord Aviation and fielded from ships before later coastal adaptations. MBDA identifies MM38 as a fire-and-forget, sea-skimming design, while Falklands War sources document Argentine technicians adapting ship-launched MM38 missiles into an improvised shore battery that struck HMS Glamorgan on June 12, 1982.
AIM-9 Sidewinder missile, Short-range air-to-air missile family, MunitionsMunitionsAIM-9 Sidewinder missileShort-range air-to-air missile familySide: United KingdomRole: UnknownBuilt: Raytheon / Diehl Defence / United States / GermanyThe AIM-9 Sidewinder is a short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missile family that began at Naval Ordnance Test Station China Lake and entered service in the 1950s. The family spans early rear-aspect missiles, all-aspect AIM-9L/M models, German AIM-9L/I modernization, export P-series rounds, and the modern AIM-9X branch, with documented use from Vietnam and Middle East air wars to Falklands, Gulf War, Ukraine air-defense aid, and Red Sea operations.
2 remaining

Category

Naval Systems

Warships, submarines, unmanned surface vessels, naval craft, and maritime combat systems.

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D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso, Aviso / light corvette, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsD'Estienne d'Orves-class avisoAviso / light corvetteSide: ArgentinaRole: UnknownBuilt: Arsenal de Lorient / FranceThe D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso, also known as the Type A69, is a French-built light corvette and offshore-patrol family developed for coastal anti-submarine warfare, escort, and overseas-presence missions. Arsenal de Lorient built the French class around an 80-meter diesel hull with Exocet missiles, a 100 mm CADAM gun, torpedoes, and a 375 mm anti-submarine rocket launcher; later French service shifted surviving ships into high-seas patrol duties after heavy anti-submarine and anti-ship weapons were removed.
D'Estienne d'Orves-class / A69 type aviso, Aviso / light corvette class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsD'Estienne d'Orves-class / A69 type avisoAviso / light corvette classSide: ArgentinaRole: UnknownBuilt: Arsenal de Lorient / FranceThe D'Estienne d'Orves-class / A69 type aviso is a French-built light corvette and patrol-vessel family developed for coastal anti-submarine warfare, escort, and overseas-presence missions. Arsenal de Lorient built the original French ships around an 80-meter diesel hull with Exocet missiles, a 100 mm CADAM gun, torpedoes, and a 375 mm anti-submarine rocket launcher; later service included French counter-piracy and embargo patrols plus Argentine Drummond-class combat use in the Falklands War.
Type 209 submarine, Diesel-electric attack submarine family, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 209 submarineDiesel-electric attack submarine familySide: ArgentinaRole: Argentine diesel-electric submarine sea-denial patrolBuilt: Howaldtswerke / thyssenkrupp Marine Systems / GermanyThe Type 209 is Germany's long-running export diesel-electric attack-submarine family, developed through the HDW lineage and continued in modern TKMS material as the HDW Class 209NG. Public sources tie the family to coastal sea denial, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, mine-laying, intelligence collection, special-operations support, and documented combat use by Argentina's ARA San Luis during the 1982 Falklands War.
114 mm Vickers Mark 6, Dual-purpose naval gun turret, Naval SystemsNaval Systems114 mm Vickers Mark 6Dual-purpose naval gun turretSide: United KingdomRole: Naval gunfire supportBuilt: Vickers-Armstrongs / United KingdomThe 114 mm Vickers Mark 6 was the postwar designation for the QF 4.5-inch Mark V gun carried in the Mark VI twin mounting, a British dual-purpose naval turret built around high-angle fire, remote power control, and rapid surface, air, and shore engagement. It entered service in 1947, equipped British and Commonwealth destroyers and frigates, and remained relevant in the 1982 Falklands War as Royal Navy escorts used 4.5-inch naval gunfire for shore support and surface engagements.
114 mm Vickers Mark 8, Single-barrel dual-purpose naval gun, Naval SystemsNaval Systems114 mm Vickers Mark 8Single-barrel dual-purpose naval gunSide: United KingdomRole: Naval gunfire support and surface engagementBuilt: Vickers-Armstrongs / Royal Ordnance / BAE Systems / United KingdomThe 114 mm Vickers Mark 8 is the Royal Navy's post-1970s single-barrel 4.5-inch naval gun, replacing the heavier Mark 6 twin mounting with a 55-calibre automatic system for surface fire, naval gunfire support, and limited air or force-protection roles. It served on Type 21, Type 22, Type 23, Type 42, Type 45, and export warships, with Falklands War use followed by later Mod 1 low-observable gunhouse upgrades and 2011 Libya combat firings by Royal Navy ships.

Category

Support Equipment

Transport, logistics, recovery, command, engineering, and other enabling equipment.

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Bv-202, Articulated tracked all-terrain carrier, Support EquipmentSupport EquipmentBv-202Articulated tracked all-terrain carrierSide: United KingdomRole: Royal Marines all-terrain supportBuilt: Volvo BM / SwedenThe Bv-202 is a Swedish two-unit articulated tracked carrier developed by Bolinder-Munktell and Volvo BM for snow, marsh, and other low-ground-pressure transport. British Royal Marines used Volvo BV 202E vehicles for mobility and rescue support during the 1982 Falklands War, while donated Bandvagn 202 vehicles reached Ukrainian forces during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War for personnel, cargo, and medical-evacuation tasks.

Category

Tanks

Heavy armor built around direct fire, protection, and battlefield shock.

1/1
FV101 Scorpion light tank, Tracked light tank / reconnaissance vehicle, TanksTanksFV101 Scorpion light tankTracked light tank / reconnaissance vehicleSide: United KingdomRole: Light armor reconnaissance and direct fire supportBuilt: Alvis / United KingdomThe FV101 Scorpion is a British CVR(T) light tank and reconnaissance vehicle built by Alvis around a 76 mm gun, high road speed, and a light aluminum hull. The catalog record covers Iranian Scorpion-family use in the Iran-Iraq War, British FV101 Scorpion use in the 1982 Falklands War and 1990 Gulf War, and later Boko Haram possession in the Lake Chad basin.

Conflict Sources

  • Falkland Islands War | BritannicaPublisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica | Note: Supports the war's dates, belligerents, and general conflict overview. | Accessed: 2026-06-26