Conflict catalog

1975 Western Sahara War: Weapons and Equipment

Conflict over Western Sahara involving Morocco, Mauritania, and the Polisario Front. This catalog is present because import workflows supplied source-backed Moroccan F-5 combat-use evidence.

The 1975 Western Sahara War followed Spain's withdrawal from Western Sahara and involved Moroccan, Mauritanian, and Polisario forces contesting control of the territory.

This catalog tracks weapon systems directly documented in 1975 Western Sahara War use.

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

4 weapon systems

Morocco

2 weapon systems in this catalog

Morocco

Mauritania and French forces

1 weapon system in this catalog

Mauritania and French forces

Polisario Front

1 weapon system in this catalog

Polisario Front

Context

Status: Published catalog
Domains: land, air

SEPECAT Jaguar, Supersonic jet attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Aircraft & UAVsSEPECAT JaguarSupersonic jet attack aircraftSide: Mauritania and French forcesRole: Close air support and interdictionBuilt: SEPECAT / Hindustan Aeronautics Limited / France / United Kingdom / IndiaThe SEPECAT Jaguar is a Franco-British supersonic jet attack aircraft built for low-level strike, close air support, reconnaissance, and tactical nuclear delivery. Jointly developed by SEPECAT and later license-produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for India, it first flew in 1968 and went on to see documented combat use in the 1975 Western Sahara War, the Chadian-Libyan conflict, the 1990 Gulf War, the 1992 Bosnian War, the 1999 Kargil War, and the 1995 Cenepa War.

Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter / Tiger II, Supersonic light fighter aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Aircraft & UAVsNorthrop F-5 Freedom Fighter / Tiger IISupersonic light fighter aircraftSide: MoroccoRole: Reconnaissance and bombing aircraftBuilt: Northrop Corporation / United StatesThe Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter / Tiger II is a lightweight supersonic fighter family developed by Northrop for export customers, low operating cost, and easy support. The later F-5E/F Tiger II and F-5N/F adversary aircraft kept the design relevant through radar, structural, avionics, and training-role upgrades, while combat use spans Vietnam, Iran, Yemen, North Africa, and other source-limited air-war records.

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: Polisario FrontRole: Polisario Front short-range SAM inventory supplied by LibyaBuilt: 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.

AML-90 armored car, 4x4 reconnaissance armored car with 90 mm gun, Armored Vehicles

Armored VehiclesAML-90 armored car4x4 reconnaissance armored car with 90 mm gunSide: MoroccoRole: Armored reconnaissance and direct fireBuilt: Panhard / FranceThe AML-90 is a French Panhard 4x4 reconnaissance armored car armed with a 90 mm low-pressure gun. Documented cases include Iraqi AML-90s captured during the 1990 Gulf War, Moroccan use of the South African Mk-6/Eland derivative in the 1975 Western Sahara War, and Yemeni Army AML-90 stocks during the 2014 Yemen Civil War.