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Soviet Military Forces in 1990

Soviet Ground Forces Inventory 

  • 55,000 tanks (4,000 T-80, 10,000 T-72, 9,700 T-64, 11,300 T-62, 19,000 T-54/55, and 1,000 PT-76)
  • 70,000 armored personnel carriers (BTR-80, BTR-70, BTR-60, BTR-D, BTR-50, BTR-152, and MT-LB)
  • 24,000 infantry fighting vehicles (BMP-1, BMP-2, BMP-3, BMD-1, BMD-2, and BMD-3); 
  • 3,500 BRDM-2 and BRDM-1 reconnaissance vehicles
  • 33,000 towed artillery pieces (4,379 D-30, 1,175 M-46, 1,700 D-20, 598 2A65, 1,007 2A36, 857 D-1, 1,693 ML-20, 1,200 M-30, 478 B-4 howitzers and D-74, D-48, D-44, T-12, and BS-3 field/anti-tank guns)
  • 9,000 self-propelled howitzers (2,751 2S1, 2,325 2S3, 507 2S5, 347 2S7, 430 2S4, 20 2S19, 108 SpGH DANA, ASU-85, and 2S9)
  • 8,000 rocket artillery (BM-21, 818 BM-27, 123 BM-30, 18 BM-24, TOS-1, BM-25, and BM-14 multiple rocket launchers)
  • Anti-aircraft and area-denial systems (1,350 2K11 Krug, 850 2K12 Kub, 950 9K33 Osa, 430 9K31 Strela-1, 300 Buk missile system, 70 S-300 [missile], 860 9K35 Strela-10, 20 Tor missile system, 130 9K22 Tunguska, ZSU-23-4 and ZSU-57-2 army air defense vehicles) 
  • 12,000 towed anti-aircraft guns (ZU-23-2, ZPU-1/2/4, 57mm AZP S-60, 25mm 72-K, 61-K, 52-K, and KS-19)
  • 4,300 helicopters (1,420 Mi-24, 600 Mi-2, 1,620 Mi-8, 290 Mi-17, 450 Mi-6, and 50 Mi-26, 6 experimental Mi-28 and 2 Ka-50)

Soviet Naval Registry 

  • 63 ballistic missile submarines (6 Project 941 (Typhoon-class), 40 Project 667B (Delta-class), 12 Project 667A (Yankee-class), 5 Project 658 (Hotel-class) submarines) 

    • Typhoon-class submarines were each armed with 20 R-39 Rif Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs) 
    • Delta IV-class submarines were each armed with 16 R-29RMU Sineva l SLBMs 
    • Delta III-class submarines were each armed with 16 of the R-29R SLBMs 
    • Delta II-class submarines were each armed with 16 R-29D SLBMs 
    • Delta I-class submarines were each armed with 12 R-29 SLBMs 
    • Yankee II-class submarines were each armed with 12 R-31 SLBMs 
    • Yankee I-class submarines were each armed with 16 R-27 SLBMs 
    • Hotel II-class submarines were each armed with 3 R-21 SLBMs 
    • Hotel I-class submarines were each armed with 3 R-13 SLBMs 
  • 72 cruise missile submarines (6 Oscar-class, 6 Yankee-class, 14 Charlie-class, 30 Echo-class, 16 Juliet-class) 
  • 64 nuclear attack submarines (5 Akula-class, 2 Sierra-class, 1 Alfa-class, 46 Victor-class, 6 November-class, 3 Yankee SSN) 
  • 63 diesel-electric attack submarines (18 Kilo-class, 20 Tango-class, 25 Foxtrot-class, 9 auxiliary, 1 Beluga-class, 1 Lima-class, 2 India-class, 4 Bravo-class, 1 Losos-class) 
  • 45 destroyers (11 Sovremenny-class, 11 Udaloy-class, 18 Kashin-class, 3 Kanin-class, 2 Sverdlov-class, 7 Kara-class, 4 Kresta I-class, 10 Kresta II-class cruiser, 4 Kynda-class) 
  • 5 aircraft carriers (1 Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier, 4 Kiev-class aircraft carriers) 
  • 2 helicopter carriers (2 Moskva-class helicopter carriers) 
  • 3 battlecruisers (3 Kirov-class) 
  • 34 cruisers (3 Slava-class, 31 Riga-class) 
  • 124 corvettes (10 Parchim-class, 36 Nanuchka-class, 78 Grisha-class) 
  • 35 amphibious warfare ships (2 Ivan Rogov-class, 19 Ropucha-class, 14 Alligator-class, 6 Polnocny-class, 2 Kildin-class) 
  • 113 frigates (32 Krivak-class, 1 Koni-class, 18 Mirka-class, 31 Petya-class) 

Soviet Naval Aviation Inventory 

  • 80 Carrier-based surface attack aircraft (80 Yak-38) 
  • 219 Carrier-based combat helicopters (113 Ka-25, 106 Ka-27) 
  • 195 Land-based ground attack aircraft (95 Su-17, 100 Su-24) 
  • 140 Land-based bombers (125 Tu-16, 15 Tu-22) 
  • 118 Land-based combat helicopters (118 Mi-14) 
  • 65 Land-based reconnaissance aircraft (50 Tu-16, 15 An-12) 
  • 49 Land-based electronic countermeasure aircraft/electronic warfare aircraft (10 Tu-22, 24 Tu-95, 15 Su-24) 
  • 80 Anti-submarine warfare aircraft (40 Tu-142, 40 Il-38) 
  • 90 Seaplanes (90 Be-12) 

Soviet Air Force Inventory 

  • 830 4th generation fighter aircraft (540 Mig-29, 200 Mig-31, 90 Su-27 Flanker) 
  • 690 3rd generation fighter aircraft (40 Mig-25 Foxbat, 600 Mig-23 Flogger, 50 Mig-21) 
  • 2,155 ground attack aircraft (500 Mig-27, 50 Mig-21, 630 Su-24, 535 Su-17, 130 Su-7, 340 Su-25) 
  • 665 Reconnaissance aircraft (10 Mig-21, 170 Mig-25, 110 Su-17, 225 Su-24, 150 Yak-28) 
  • 60 Electronic countermeasure aircraft/electronic warfare aircraft (10 Su-24, 50 Yak-28) 
  • 305 Heavy Bombers (15 Tu-160, 160 Tu-95 ‘strategic bomber’, 130 Mya-4) 

Air Defense Force Inventory 

  • 2,410 interceptor Aircraft: 

    • 570 4th generation fighter aircraft (210 Su-27 Flanker, 360 MiG-31 Foxhound) 
    • 1,840 3rd generation fighter aircraft (850 MiG-23 Flogger, 350 MiG-25 Foxbat, 500 Su-15 Flagon, 90 Yak-28 Firebar, 50 Tu-128 Fiddler) 
  • 8 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft (7 Tupolev Tu-126 Moss, 1 Beriev A-50 Mainstay) 
  • Surface-To-Air-Missile Systems (1,400 S-25 Berkut, 2,400 Lavochkin S-75 Dvina, 1,000 Isayev S-125 Neva\Pechora at 300+ sites, 1,950 Almaz S-200 Angara\Vega\Dubna at 130 sites, 1,700 Almaz S-300 at 850 sites) 

Soviet Ballistic Missile Inventory 

  • UR-100K (248 silo-based single warhead, 220 silo-based Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle (MIRV)) 
  • UR-100U (120 silo-based MIRV) 
  • RT-2 (60 silo-based single warhead) 
  • RT-2P (60 silo-based single warhead) 
  • MR UR-100UTTH (150 silo-based MIRV (Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle)) 
  • R-36 MUTTH (30 silo-based single warhead, 278 silo-based MIRV) 
  • R-36 M2 (58 silo-based MIRV) 
  • UR-100 NUTTH (360 silo-based MIRV) 
  • RT-23 UTTH (36 rail-based MIRV, 56 silo-based MIRV) 
  • RT-2PM2 Topol (369 silo-based single warhead) 
  • RT-2PM2 Topol-M (48 silo-based single warhead) 
  • Topol-M1 (6 Mobile Truck-based single warhead) 

 In 1990, the total Soviet nuclear compliment was estimated to be 1,398 ICBMs and 6,612 warheads, 940 SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles) and 2,804 warheads, and 160 strategic bombers and 855 warheads (Total: 2,500 launchers and 10,271 warheads).