Conflict catalog

1994 First Chechen War: Weapons and Equipment

Russian war against Chechen separatist forces in the mid-1990s.

The 1994 First Chechen War was Russia's mid-1990s campaign against Chechen separatist forces in and around Grozny and other parts of Chechnya.

This catalog tracks weapon systems documented in the 1994 First Chechen War.

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

18 weapon systems

Russia

16 weapon systems in this catalog

Russia

Chechen separatist forces

5 weapon systems in this catalog

Chechen separatist forces

Context

Status: Published catalog

Su-25, Ground-attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Aircraft & UAVsSu-25Ground-attack aircraftSide: RussiaRole: Attack sortiesBuilt: Sukhoi / Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant / United Aircraft Corporation / Soviet Union / Russia / GeorgiaThe Su-25 is a Soviet-designed armored close air support aircraft built for low-level battlefield strike, rough-field operation, and heavy stores carriage. Developed by Sukhoi and produced in Soviet, Russian, and Georgian factories, the twin-engine subsonic jet combines a protected cockpit, internal 30 mm cannon, and multiple pylons for rockets, bombs, missiles, and adapted guided weapons, with documented use from Afghanistan and Iraq to Darfur, Syria, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Ukraine.

Tu-22M, Long-range supersonic bomber and missile carrier, Aircraft & UAVs

Aircraft & UAVsTu-22MLong-range supersonic bomber and missile carrierSide: RussiaRole: Operational strike missionsBuilt: Tupolev / Kazan Aircraft Production Association / Soviet Union / RussiaThe Tupolev Tu-22M Backfire family is a variable-sweep, long-range supersonic bomber and missile carrier built for maritime strike and deep land attack. The Tu-22M3 Backfire-C is the principal operational version: UAC says it entered service in 1989, while Rosoboronexport and later reporting tie the type to Kh-22 and Kh-32 standoff missile carriage as well as large conventional bomb loads.

Su-17, Variable-sweep wing fighter-bomber / ground-attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Aircraft & UAVsSu-17Variable-sweep wing fighter-bomber / ground-attack aircraftSide: RussiaRole: Russian attack and reconnaissance aircraftBuilt: Sukhoi / Soviet Union / RussiaThe Su-17 Fitter is a Soviet variable-sweep wing fighter-bomber developed from the fixed-wing Su-7B and exported through the Su-20 and Su-22 lines. Designed for ground attack and bombing with rockets, bombs, missiles, gun pods, and 30 mm cannon armament, the family is documented in Soviet, Iraqi, and Syrian conflict use from Afghanistan to Syria.

9K31 Strela-1, Vehicle-mounted short-range surface-to-air missile system, Air Defense

Air Defense9K31 Strela-1Vehicle-mounted short-range surface-to-air missile systemSide: Chechen separatist forcesRole: Chechen inherited conventional air-defense equipmentBuilt: Soviet state arsenals / Nudelman OKB-16 / Saratov Aggregate Plant / Soviet UnionThe 9K31 Strela-1, NATO reporting name SA-9 Gaskin, is a Soviet BRDM-2-based short-range surface-to-air missile system armed with four ready-to-fire 9M31 or 9M31M missiles. Developed as a regimental low-altitude air-defense vehicle for motor-rifle and tank units, it combined an amphibious armored chassis with optical/infrared missile engagement at short ranges. Open sources document it in several conflict inventories, including Polisario systems supplied by Libya, Iraqi Gulf War air defenses, Chechen inherited stocks, and Houthi-aligned holdings in Yemen; those rows indicate fielding or possession, not necessarily a sourced launch or shootdown.

BTR-80, 8x8 amphibious armored personnel carrier, Armored Vehicles

Armored VehiclesBTR-808x8 amphibious armored personnel carrierSide: RussiaChechen separatist forcesRole: Armored personnel carrier and captured vehicleBuilt: Arzamas Machine-Building Plant / RussiaThe BTR-80 is a Soviet-designed 8x8 amphibious armored personnel carrier built to move motor rifle troops under armor while giving them heavy machine-gun fire support. Rosoboronexport describes it as a combat wheeled vehicle for transporting motor rifle units, and the type remains widespread across former Soviet and export operators more than four decades after introduction.

BMD-1, Airborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, Armored Vehicles

Armored VehiclesBMD-1Airborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicleSide: RussiaRole: Airborne armored mobilityBuilt: Volgograd Tractor Plant / Soviet UnionThe BMD-1 is a Soviet airborne infantry fighting vehicle built for paratroop units, combining a very light amphibious tracked chassis with the BMP-1-style 73 mm 2A28 Grom gun and anti-tank missile armament. Its hydropneumatic suspension and low combat weight supported airborne deployment, while the same design priorities left the aluminum hull protected mainly against small-arms fire and fragments. Cataloged conflict evidence spans Soviet use in Afghanistan, Russian and Iraqi wartime fielding, Russian airborne use in Georgia and Ukraine, and Ukrainian 25th Airborne Brigade service in Donbas.

BTR-D, Airborne amphibious tracked armored personnel carrier, Armored Vehicles

Armored VehiclesBTR-DAirborne amphibious tracked armored personnel carrierSide: RussiaRole: Russian airborne armored personnel carrierBuilt: Volgograd Tractor Plant / Soviet Union / RussiaThe BTR-D is a Soviet airborne tracked armored personnel carrier derived from the BMD-1 chassis for VDV units, trading the BMD turret for a longer troop compartment while retaining amphibious, air-droppable mobility and a family role as the base for airborne anti-tank, air-defense, recovery, command, and mortar-support vehicles.

2S23 Nona-SVK, 120 mm wheeled self-propelled gun-mortar, Artillery

Artillery2S23 Nona-SVK120 mm wheeled self-propelled gun-mortarSide: RussiaRole: Battalion-level mortar and gun-mortar fire supportBuilt: Motovilikha Plants / Arzamas Machine-Building Plant / RussiaThe 2S23 Nona-SVK is a Russian 120 mm self-propelled gun-mortar that adapts the Nona artillery system to a BTR-80 8x8 armored chassis. Its rifled 2A60 weapon can provide direct or indirect fire with mortar bombs, artillery projectiles, and selected guided ammunition, giving motorized units a compact battalion-level fire-support vehicle. The type was reported in Chechnya during Russian service testing and later appeared in 2014 Russia-Ukraine War battlefield reporting, including visually confirmed Russian losses and captured vehicles.

2S1 Gvozdika, 122 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer, Artillery

Artillery2S1 Gvozdika122 mm tracked self-propelled howitzerSide: RussiaRole: Russian self-propelled artilleryBuilt: Kharkiv Tractor Plant / Plant No. 9 / Soviet UnionThe 2S1 Gvozdika is a Soviet 122 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer built around the 2A31 gun on an amphibious armored chassis derived from the MT-LB family. In the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War it remains a common short-to-medium-range artillery system for both Russian and Ukrainian forces, combining mobility, indirect fire, and widespread 122 mm ammunition compatibility.

2S5 Giatsint-S, 152 mm tracked self-propelled gun, Artillery

Artillery2S5 Giatsint-S152 mm tracked self-propelled gunSide: RussiaRole: Heavy self-propelled artillery in urban-combat support contextBuilt: Uraltransmash / Perm Machine-Building Plant / Soviet UnionThe 2S5 Giatsint-S is a Soviet 152 mm tracked self-propelled gun built for long-range corps- and army-level fire support. Its open rear-mounted 2A37 gun gives it greater reach than many older Soviet 152 mm systems, while its tracked chassis and stabilizing rear spade support shoot-and-move artillery work. Sources document 2S5 use or fielding context from Afghanistan and Chechnya through the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, with additional wartime transfer evidence for Ethiopia during the Eritrean-Ethiopian War.

2S3 Akatsiya, 152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer, Artillery

Artillery2S3 Akatsiya152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzerSide: RussiaChechen separatist forcesRole: Tracked 152 mm self-propelled artilleryBuilt: Uraltransmash / Soviet Union / RussiaThe 2S3 Akatsiya is a Soviet 152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer built around the 2A33 gun and a turreted armored chassis. Designed for divisional fire support and accepted into service in 1971, it appears across Iraqi, Chechen, Syrian, Armenian, Libyan, Russian, and Ukrainian conflict records because large Cold War stocks remained in service long after newer self-propelled artillery entered use.

2S4 Tyulpan, 240 mm self-propelled heavy mortar, Artillery

Artillery2S4 Tyulpan240 mm self-propelled heavy mortarSide: RussiaRole: Heavy siege mortar fireBuilt: Uraltransmash / Soviet Union / RussiaThe 2S4 Tyulpan is a Soviet 240 mm self-propelled heavy mortar built around a large breech-loaded 2B8 mortar on a tracked chassis. Its unusually heavy bombs, guided and special-purpose ammunition options, and low rate of fire make it a siege and bunker-attack weapon rather than a conventional rapid-fire howitzer. Soviet and Russian forces used it in Afghanistan and Chechnya, and Russian forces have fielded or lost examples in Ukraine, where its size and firing signature make it a high-value counter-battery target.

RPG-18, Disposable anti-tank rocket launcher, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsRPG-18Disposable anti-tank rocket launcherSide: Chechen separatist forcesRole: Urban anti-armor launcherBuilt: Bazalt / Soviet UnionThe RPG-18 Mukha is a Soviet disposable, shoulder-fired anti-tank rocket launcher built around a telescoping launch tube and a 64 mm PG-18 HEAT rocket. It gave infantry a light short-range anti-armor weapon before later RPG-22 and RPG-26 successors, and conflict sources document the type from Afghanistan and Grozny to Ukrainian use as a carried launcher and improvised FPV-drone payload.

RPO-A Shmel, Disposable shoulder-fired thermobaric rocket launcher, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsRPO-A ShmelDisposable shoulder-fired thermobaric rocket launcherSide: RussiaRole: Urban assault and bunker-clearing weaponBuilt: KBP Instrument Design Bureau / RussiaThe RPO-A Shmel is a Soviet-designed, Russian-produced 93 mm disposable rocket flamethrower built around a thermobaric fuel-air explosive round. Adopted in 1988 after mid-1980s development, it became a close-assault weapon for caves, bunkers, buildings, and fortified urban positions, with documented appearances from Afghanistan and Chechnya through Syria, Ukraine, and Gaza.

1V15 command and forward observer vehicle, Artillery battalion command and forward observer vehicle, Support Equipment

Support Equipment1V15 command and forward observer vehicleArtillery battalion command and forward observer vehicleSide: RussiaRole: Artillery command and forward-observation vehicleBuilt: Motovilikha Plants / Soviet Union / RussiaThe 1V15 is the battalion commander's mobile command-observation vehicle in the Soviet 1V12 Mashina-S artillery fire-control family. Built on the MT-LBu tracked chassis, it combines observation, rangefinding, navigation, communications, and fire-control equipment so an artillery battalion commander can reconnoiter targets, coordinate with supported maneuver units, and direct battalion fire from a protected forward post. Russian 1V15 losses are visually documented from the 1994 First Chechen War, and Russian and Ukrainian 1V15-family vehicles are documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through loss and capture records.

An-22, Heavy turboprop military transport aircraft, Support Equipment

Support EquipmentAn-22Heavy turboprop military transport aircraftSide: RussiaRole: Heavy transport airfield logisticsBuilt: Antonov Design Bureau / Tashkent Aviation Production Association / Soviet Union / UzbekistanThe An-22 is an Antonov-designed Soviet heavy military transport aircraft built around four Kuznetsov NK-12MA turboprops and rough-field heavy-lift operations. Antonov records its first flight on 27 February 1965, serial production at Tashkent from 1965 to 1976, and later use as an outsized component carrier for the An-124 and An-225 programs.

T-72, Main battle tank, Tanks

TanksT-72Main battle tankSide: RussiaChechen separatist forcesRole: Urban armored assault and captured armorBuilt: Uralvagonzavod / Various manufacturers / Soviet Union / Russia / licensed producersThe T-72 is a Soviet main battle tank family built around a three-person crew, an autoloaded 125 mm gun, and a compact tracked chassis that entered Soviet service in 1974. Its long production run, licensed derivatives, and post-Soviet stockpiles made it a recurring armored vehicle in Iraq, Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, Yemen, Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Russia-Ukraine War.

T-80, Main battle tank, Tanks

TanksT-80Main battle tankSide: RussiaRole: Urban armored assault and direct fireBuilt: Leningrad Kirov Plant / Omsktransmash / Malyshev Factory / Soviet Union / Russia / UkraineThe T-80 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank built around a compact three-man layout, autoloaded 125 mm gun, and gas-turbine mobility in most major variants. It has appeared in very different combat settings: Russian T-80s fought in Grozny during the 1994 First Chechen War, Russia and Ukraine both operate T-80-family tanks in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, and Houthi-aligned forces have displayed T-80BV tanks in Yemen.