Conflict catalog

2008 Russo-Georgian War: Weapons and Equipment

Five-day war between Georgia and Russian-backed South Ossetian forces.

The 2008 Russo-Georgian War was the short 2008 conflict between Georgia and Russian-backed South Ossetian forces, with Russian intervention widening the fighting.

This catalog tracks weapon systems documented in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.

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

30 weapon systems

Georgia

14 weapon systems in this catalog

Georgia

Russia and South Ossetian forces

18 weapon systems in this catalog

Russia and South Ossetian forces

Context

Status: Published catalog

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

Aircraft & UAVsSu-25Ground-attack aircraftSide: GeorgiaRussia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Strike aircraftBuilt: 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: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Reconnaissance sortieBuilt: 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-34, Two-seat fighter-bomber / strike aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Aircraft & UAVsSu-34Two-seat fighter-bomber / strike aircraftSide: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Electronic-attack support aircraftBuilt: Sukhoi / Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association / RussiaThe Su-34 Fullback is a Russian two-seat fighter-bomber from the Sukhoi Su-27 family, built in Novosibirsk for long-range strike, interdiction, and reconnaissance. Its armored cockpit, 12 hardpoints, and 8,500 kg combat load have made it a main Russian strike platform in Syria and in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Su-24, Variable-geometry tactical bomber and strike aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Aircraft & UAVsSu-24Variable-geometry tactical bomber and strike aircraftSide: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Tactical reconnaissanceBuilt: Sukhoi / Soviet Union / RussiaThe Su-24, NATO reporting name Fencer, is a Soviet-designed twin-engine variable-geometry tactical bomber built by Sukhoi for long-range all-weather strike and reconnaissance missions. The type has appeared across Soviet, Russian, Ukrainian, Syrian, Libyan, Iranian, and Sudanese service, with Ukrainian Su-24M/MR aircraft adapted to launch Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG cruise missiles during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

PPZR Grom, Man-portable air-defense system, Air Defense

Air DefensePPZR GromMan-portable air-defense systemSide: GeorgiaRole: Short-range air defense against Russian aircraftBuilt: MESKO S.A. / PolandPPZR Grom is a Polish shoulder-fired infrared surface-to-air missile system built by MESKO for very-short-range defense against visually acquired aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, and other infrared-emitting targets. Open reporting ties the system to Georgian use in the 2008 2008 Russo-Georgian War and to a Grom launcher tube reportedly seized from pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

9K33 Osa, Short-range self-propelled surface-to-air missile system, Air Defense

Air Defense9K33 OsaShort-range self-propelled surface-to-air missile systemSide: GeorgiaRole: Georgian short-range air defenseBuilt: Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant (IEMZ) / Soviet UnionThe 9K33 Osa, NATO reporting name SA-8 Gecko, is a Soviet short-range self-propelled surface-to-air missile system that combines search radar, tracking radar, command guidance, and ready-to-fire missiles on a single amphibious 6x6 TELAR. Cataloged conflict records show the system across several generations of air-defense use: Syrian Osa-AK vehicles in Lebanon in 1982, Iraqi SA-8s in the Gulf War air-defense network, captured Georgian systems in 2008, rebel-held examples in Syria, Armenian and Ukrainian battlefield use, and Indian OSA-AK service during Operation Sindoor.

9K37 Buk, Tracked medium-range surface-to-air missile system, Air Defense

Air Defense9K37 BukTracked medium-range surface-to-air missile systemSide: GeorgiaRole: Georgian medium-range battlefield air defense.Built: NIIP / Ulyanovsk Mechanical Plant / Soviet UnionThe 9K37 Buk is the original Soviet tracked medium-range surface-to-air missile system behind the SA-11 Gadfly family, built around mobile command, target-acquisition, TELAR, reload, and 9M38/9M38M1 missile elements. It remains relevant in conflict records because Buk-M1 systems appeared in Georgia's 2008 air-defense campaign and in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, including Ukraine's surviving Buk-M1 network and the evidence chain around the Russian Buk TELAR that launched the MH17 missile.

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

Armored VehiclesBTR-808x8 amphibious armored personnel carrierSide: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Russian armored personnel carrierBuilt: 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: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Russian 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.

BMD-2, Airborne infantry fighting vehicle, Armored Vehicles

Armored VehiclesBMD-2Airborne infantry fighting vehicleSide: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Airborne infantry fighting vehicle in Russian forcesBuilt: Volgograd Tractor Plant / Soviet UnionThe BMD-2 is a Soviet airborne infantry fighting vehicle built for paratrooper units, combining a very light amphibious tracked chassis with a 30 mm 2A42 cannon and an anti-tank missile launcher. Soviet airborne and air-assault forces used the family in Afghanistan, Russia lost at least one BMD-2 in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, and both Russian and Ukrainian forces have operated BMD-2s during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

BMP-1U Shkval, Infantry fighting vehicle modernization, Armored Vehicles

Armored VehiclesBMP-1U ShkvalInfantry fighting vehicle modernizationSide: GeorgiaRole: Georgian infantry fighting vehicle and captured equipmentBuilt: Ukroboronprom / UkraineThe BMP-1U Shkval is a Ukrainian modernization of the Soviet BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle that replaced the original 73 mm turret with the KBA-105 Shkval weapon station. The upgrade centers on 30 mm cannon fire, a coaxial machine gun, a 30 mm automatic grenade launcher, and Konkurs anti-tank missile launchers, trading some troop capacity for a heavier remote combat module. Its most clearly documented wartime trail runs through Georgian vehicles captured by Russia in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War and later seen or lost in Russian service during the full-scale phase of the Russia-Ukraine War.

Otokar Cobra, Wheeled infantry mobility vehicle, Armored Vehicles

Armored VehiclesOtokar CobraWheeled infantry mobility vehicleSide: GeorgiaRole: Georgian protected mobility and captured equipmentBuilt: Otokar / Turkey / RomaniaThe Otokar Cobra page covers a Turkish 4x4 armored mobility-vehicle family built for protected transport, patrol, reconnaissance, weapon-carrier, medical evacuation, and specialist mission roles. The record distinguishes the lighter original Cobra from the larger Cobra II branch, whose recent official context includes a 1,059-vehicle Romanian ATBTU program, local production at Medias, and more than 20 Cobra II users in 13 countries. The cataloged conflict record spans documented losses or captures in Georgia, Burkina Faso, and northeast Nigeria, Cobra II protected mobility and evacuation use in Ukraine, and a reported Cobra-mounted Turkish laser system in Libya.

BM-21 Grad, 122 mm multiple rocket launcher, Artillery

ArtilleryBM-21 Grad122 mm multiple rocket launcherSide: GeorgiaRole: Area rocket artilleryBuilt: Motovilikha Plants / Soviet defense industry / Soviet Union / RussiaThe BM-21 Grad is a Soviet 122 mm multiple rocket launcher built around a 40-tube launcher on a wheeled truck chassis. In the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War it remains a common area-fire system on both sides, valued for rapid salvos and mobility but dependent on shoot-and-scoot tactics because the launcher is carried on an unarmored truck.

2A36 Giatsint-B, 152 mm towed field gun, Artillery

Artillery2A36 Giatsint-B152 mm towed field gunSide: GeorgiaRole: Towed artillery fire supportBuilt: Perm Machine-Building Plant / Soviet UnionThe 2A36 Giatsint-B is a Soviet 152 mm towed field gun built for long-range indirect fire and counter-battery work. Its 49-caliber barrel and separate-loading ammunition give it reach beyond many older Soviet 152 mm systems, and documented wartime use includes Georgian fielding in 2008, Russian and Ukrainian guns in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, and Armenian/Artsakh losses in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting.

2A65 Msta-B, 152 mm towed howitzer, Artillery

Artillery2A65 Msta-B152 mm towed howitzerSide: GeorgiaRole: Towed artillery fire supportBuilt: Motovilikha Plant / Soviet Union / RussiaThe 2A65 Msta-B is a Soviet 152 mm towed howitzer built around the artillery family shared with the 2S19 Msta-S. Its split-trail carriage, shielded crew position, 24.7 km standard-shell range, and compatibility with Msta-family 152 mm projectiles kept it in post-Soviet heavy-artillery inventories, with documented Georgian loss evidence in 2008, Russian-aligned use in Syria, and both Russian and Ukrainian use in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

152 mm SpGH DANA, 152 mm wheeled self-propelled gun-howitzer, Artillery

Artillery152 mm SpGH DANA152 mm wheeled self-propelled gun-howitzerSide: GeorgiaRole: Mobile tube artillery fire supportBuilt: ZTS Dubnica nad Vahom / Excalibur Army / Czechoslovakia / Slovakia / Czech RepublicThe 152 mm SpGH DANA is a Czechoslovak wheeled self-propelled gun-howitzer built around a Tatra 8x8 chassis, a semi-automatic loading system, and a 152 mm gun compatible with Soviet-pattern ammunition. The family appears in several post-Soviet and coalition conflicts: Georgian DANA guns were documented in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, Polish DANA crews fired in Afghanistan, Azerbaijani DANA M1 systems were reported in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting, and Czech-supplied DANA and DANA M2 howitzers later gave Ukrainian forces mobile 152 mm artillery during the full-scale Russian invasion.

2S7 Pion, 203 mm tracked self-propelled gun, Artillery

Artillery2S7 Pion203 mm tracked self-propelled gunSide: GeorgiaRole: Heavy artillery fire supportBuilt: Leningrad Kirov Plant / Barrikady Arsenal / Soviet UnionThe 2S7 Pion is a Soviet 203 mm tracked self-propelled gun built for long-range, high-power fires against important rear-area targets. Its 2A44 gun, T-80-derived tracked chassis, and rocket-assisted projectile range kept the Pion and Malka family visible in several post-Soviet wars, including documented Georgian losses in 2008, Azerbaijani 2020 use, and Russian and Ukrainian operation during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

BM-27 Uragan, 220 mm self-propelled multiple launch rocket system, Artillery

ArtilleryBM-27 Uragan220 mm self-propelled multiple launch rocket systemSide: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Cluster-munition rocket artilleryBuilt: NPO Splav / Soviet Union / RussiaThe BM-27 Uragan is the Soviet 9K57 220 mm multiple launch rocket system, built around the 16-tube 9P140 launcher and 9T452 transporter-loader on ZIL-135LM-family wheeled chassis. Its rocket family gives heavier payloads than BM-21 Grad-class systems, including high-explosive fragmentation, cluster, incendiary, fuel-air explosive, and mine-scattering rounds. Documented use spans Russia-Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Nagorno-Karabakh, and the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, with the system still relevant through Ukrainian overhaul work and Bureviy modernization.

9K720 Iskander, Road-mobile tactical ballistic and cruise missile system, Artillery

Artillery9K720 IskanderRoad-mobile tactical ballistic and cruise missile systemSide: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Ballistic missile strike with submunitionsBuilt: KBM Kolomna / Votkinsk Machine Building Plant / Barrikady / RussiaThe 9K720 Iskander is a Russian road-mobile tactical missile system that launches 9M723 short-range ballistic missiles and, in Iskander-K configuration, ground-launched cruise missiles. Its documented combat record spans Russian strikes in Ukraine, Syria, and Georgia, plus disputed Armenian use around Shusha in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting.

Tochka-U, Road-mobile tactical ballistic missile system, Artillery

ArtilleryTochka-URoad-mobile tactical ballistic missile systemSide: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Operational-tactical missile strikesBuilt: Kolomna Machine Building Design Bureau (KBM) / Soviet Union / RussiaTochka-U is the upgraded 9K79-1/OTR-21 short-range tactical ballistic missile system, carried on a wheeled transporter-erector-launcher and designed for battlefield strikes with high-explosive or cluster warheads. Its public combat record spans post-Soviet, Middle Eastern, and South Caucasus wars, from Russian use in Chechnya and Georgia to Houthi launches in Yemen and documented Russian and Ukrainian Tochka-U use in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

1 remaining

PKP Pecheneg, 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsPKP Pecheneg7.62 mm general-purpose machine gunSide: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Infantry machine-gun fire supportBuilt: TsNIITochMash / Degtyaryov Plant / RussiaThe PKP Pecheneg is a Russian 7.62x54mmR belt-fed general-purpose machine gun developed from the PKM to solve sustained-fire problems with a heavier, jacket-cooled barrel, forced-air cooling, a mirage-shielding carry handle, and a forward bipod. Russian sources place production at Kovrov in 1999 and service acceptance in 2001, with later documented use by Russian forces, Syrian special forces, Russian-backed separatists, and Ukrainian troops, plus naval mounting on Russian patrol and assault craft.

S-8 rocket family, 80 mm unguided air-to-surface rocket family, Munitions

MunitionsS-8 rocket family80 mm unguided air-to-surface rocket familySide: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Russian aircraft rocket attacksBuilt: Soviet defense industry / NPO Splav / Soviet Union / Russia / SerbiaThe S-8 is a Soviet-origin 80 mm unguided air-to-surface rocket family fired from B-series pods on attack helicopters and ground-attack aircraft. The family uses warhead-specific designations for HEAT-fragmentation, concrete-piercing, thermobaric, illumination, smoke or marking, and later high-power or guided derivatives, with documented conflict use from Syria and Georgia to Darfur and Ukraine.

9M723 Iskander ballistic missile, Road-mobile short-range ballistic missile, Munitions

Munitions9M723 Iskander ballistic missileRoad-mobile short-range ballistic missileSide: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Ballistic missile strike with submunitionsBuilt: Kolomna Machine Building Design Bureau (KBM) / Votkinsk Machine Building Plant / RussiaThe 9M723 is the ballistic missile fired by Russia's Iskander-M system, a road-mobile short-range strike weapon associated with conventional, cluster, and nuclear-capable payload options. Its combat record spans Russian use in Ukraine, Syria, and Georgia, plus disputed Armenian use around Shusha in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting.

Project 1234 Ovod / Nanuchka-class missile corvette, Guided missile corvette family, Naval Systems

Naval SystemsProject 1234 Ovod / Nanuchka-class missile corvetteGuided missile corvette familySide: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Reported littoral anti-surface missile strikeBuilt: Almaz Shipyard / Vympel Shipyard / Soviet UnionProject 1234 Ovod, known in NATO reporting as the Nanuchka class, is a Soviet guided-missile corvette family built around a compact high-speed hull with heavy anti-ship missile armament. Soviet Project 1234 and 12341 ships carried P-120 Malakhit missiles and an Osa-M point-defense launcher, while export Project 1234E boats carried P-15/P-20 Termit missiles; documented combat losses connect Libyan export hulls to the 1986 Gulf of Sidra fighting, NATO's 2011 Libya campaign, and the 2014 Benghazi fighting.

Project 1164 Atlant / Slava-class guided-missile cruiser, Guided-missile cruiser, Naval Systems

Naval SystemsProject 1164 Atlant / Slava-class guided-missile cruiserGuided-missile cruiserSide: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Black Sea Fleet surface combatantBuilt: 61 Kommunara Shipbuilding Plant / Soviet UnionThe Project 1164 Atlant / Slava-class guided-missile cruiser is a Soviet-designed surface-strike cruiser class built at the 61 Kommunara yard in Mykolaiv. Its large angled anti-ship missile battery, S-300F Fort area air defense, Osa-M point defense, AK-130 gun, and helicopter deck made the class a Russian fleet flagship type, with Moskva documented in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, Russia's Syria operation, and the 2022 phase of the Russia-Ukraine War before its sinking in the Black Sea.

Project 206MR Vikhr / Matka-class missile boat, Hydrofoil missile boat / patrol boat, Naval Systems

Naval SystemsProject 206MR Vikhr / Matka-class missile boatHydrofoil missile boat / patrol boatSide: GeorgiaRole: Georgian fast-attack craft destroyed at PotiBuilt: Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau / Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard / Soviet UnionProject 206MR Vikhr, known to NATO as the Matka class, is a Soviet hydrofoil missile-boat class built for high-speed coastal attack with P-15M anti-ship missiles, a 76 mm gun, and close-in 30 mm defense; surviving post-Soviet boats appeared in Georgian and Ukrainian service, including Tbilisi in the 2008 war and Pryluky during Ukraine's coastal defense in 2022.

ZIL-131, 6x6 general-purpose army truck, Support Equipment

Support EquipmentZIL-1316x6 general-purpose army truckSide: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Military truck and support vehicleBuilt: Zavod imeni Likhacheva / Soviet Union / RussiaThe ZIL-131 is a Soviet 6x6 general-purpose army truck produced by the Moscow Likhachev automobile plant and later associated production lines. It served as a cargo truck, tractor, tanker, communications vehicle, mine-laying chassis, gun-truck base, and launch-vehicle platform; visually documented losses in Georgia, Ukraine, and Nagorno-Karabakh make it a support-equipment entry with conflict-specific logistics and specialist-chassis context.

1V12(M) Mashina-S/Faltset fire control system, Tracked artillery command and fire-control system, Support Equipment

Support Equipment1V12(M) Mashina-S/Faltset fire control systemTracked artillery command and fire-control systemSide: Russia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Russian artillery fire-control component vehicleBuilt: Motovilikha Plants / Soviet Union / RussiaThe 1V12 Mashina-S is a Soviet tracked artillery command and fire-control set for self-propelled artillery battalions, later modernized as the 1V12M Faltset family. Built around MT-LBu-based command vehicles, the set includes 1V13(M) battery fire-control centers alongside battalion and battery command vehicles, linking reconnaissance, topographic preparation, meteorological inputs, and firing-data calculation for systems such as 2S1, 2S3, 2S4, 2S5, 2S7, and 2S19. Loss trackers and Ukrainian reporting document Russian 1V12-family vehicles destroyed, abandoned, and captured during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

T-72, Main battle tank, Tanks

TanksT-72Main battle tankSide: GeorgiaRussia and South Ossetian forcesRole: Armored maneuver around South OssetiaBuilt: 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.