Get to Know Myanmar's Defense Industry, One of ASEAN's Leading Nations

04 Februari 2021

BTR-3U of the Myanmar Army (photo : Myo Myo)

The research, development and production of military equipment by the Myanmar Armed Forces is supervised by the Myanmar Directorate of Defense Industries of the Ministry of Defense, which develops and produces various types of weapons, from guns of different sizes, grenade launchers, artillery, multi-caliber rockets, antiaircraft rocket,  tank battle rocket including various grenades and bullets.

MMT-40 light tank of the Myanmar Army (photo : Team-7)

The gun used in the Myanmar army is the purchase of patents for the manufacture of guns from various countries, such as Gaili from Israel, QBZ-95 from China, STK 50MG from Singapore, or M91 from Serbia, and make further improvements by using their own technology later. What we should know is the MA-4 rifles that use 5.56mm ammunition based on IMI's Galil, Israel. The MA-15 uses 7.62mm ammunition, which is a copy the German MA-15 or MAS-1 sniper gun uses 7.62mm ammunition, which is a patent for Zastava's production of the M91 rifle from Serbia.

MAM-01 122mm MLRS (photo : KMK)

As for the vehicles, the Ukrainian BTR-3U and BTR-4 are licensed and manufactured from Ukraine to produce more than 500 vehicles in the country.There is also a cooperation project with Ukraine to develop the MMT-40 light tank, which is not yet known how many will be deployed In addition, there are approximately 50 older 4 × 4 vehicles designed in Myanmar and in service, such as BAAC-87, MAV-2, and MAV-3. General soldier Myanmar uses all the locally designed and manufactured cars such as Naung Yoe or newer cars like Innlay.

Landing Craft Utility (LCU) vessels 1614 (photo : navsource)

Myanmar also has a wide range of rocket manufacturing capabilities, such as: a 122-mm MAM-01 multi-barreled rocket compared to China's Type-81, a 240-mm MAM-02 multi-barreled rocket, the equivalent of the M1991 from North Korea. The MA-10 or RPG-7 grenade launcher, MA-14 a copy of the Chinese type-78 grenade launcher, MA-84 a copy of Sweden's Carl Gustaf, bought a patent for the stamped antiaircraft missile Igla shoulder from Russia. It also has a production line for the KS-1M anti-aircraft missile from China. It is also possible that Myanmar will also acquire Hwasong-5 tactical missile manufacturing technology from North Korea.

UMS 12 Kyan Sittha a 3.000 tonnes frigate and UMS 773 Tabinshwehti a 1.105 tonnes corvette (photo : Sasuke)

The shipbuilding industry, which is supervised by the Myanmar Navy, is capable of building ships of all sizes, from small patrol boats to Landing Ship, fast attack craft to the frigates overall, about half of the ships used in the Myanmar Navy are designed and built in the country, with the addition of two Chinese Type-053H1 Jianghu-II frigates. The other three frigates are all designed and built in Myanmar: the Aung Zeya-class and the Kyan Sittha-class, or the Anawratha-class Corvette-class attack speed boats. Different types of landing ships, either the LCU, LCM or LST, are all custom designed and manufactured.

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