Self-propelled artillery plays an important role in modern warfare, allowing for long-distance strikes while offering improved mobility to dodge any enemy offensive. Countries that invest the most in these units are some of the strongest in the world. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at countries with the most self-propelled artillery. (These are the U.S. Army’s longest range artillery weapons, ranked.)
To identify the countries with the most self-propelled artillery, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Countries were ranked on the total number of self-propelled artillery in their arsenal. We included supplemental information regarding the total military vehicles, tanks and MLRS units, as well as each country’s overall military strength score.
One of the main advantages of self-propelled artillery is the ability to provide quick fire support in any given scenario. These units are also outfitted with advanced targeting systems that allow for accurate strikes at great distances.
The versatility of these units cannot be stated enough. As opposed to the older towed artillery units, these are highly mobile and can “shoot and scoot” where they fire a salvo and immediately move to miss any potential counterattack.
Overall, self-propelled artillery is a vital component of most modern military forces. These units offer serious firepower at range as well as impressive mobility. (These are the NATO countries with the most artillery firepower.)
Here is a look at the countries with the most self-propelled artillery:
Why Are We Covering This?
Source: Kichigin / iStock via Getty Images
Self-propelled artillery is important in modern warfare because it combines mobility and firepower. Unlike towed artillery, these units can move independently, making it easier to avoid enemy attacks. Many countries have invested heavily in these units and understanding which countries have the most gives further context to modern military strategy.
30. India
Source: abhisheklegit / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Self-propelled artillery: 140
- Towed artillery: 3,243
- Total artillery: 3,383
- Total military vehicles: 151,248
- Total tanks: 4,614
- Total MLRS: 702
- Military strength score: 0.1023 – #4 – out of 145
29. Indonesia
Source: jacobsroom / Flickr
- Self-propelled artillery: 153
- Towed artillery: 414
- Total artillery: 567
- Total military vehicles: 11,604
- Total tanks: 313
- Total MLRS: 63
- Military strength score: 0.2251 – #13 – out of 145
28. Brazil
Source: edbrambley / Flickr
- Self-propelled artillery: 172
- Towed artillery: 460
- Total artillery: 632
- Total military vehicles: 44,044
- Total tanks: 469
- Total MLRS: 78
- Military strength score: 0.1944 – #12 – out of 145
27. Japan
Source: petesphotography / iStock via Getty Images
- Self-propelled artillery: 173
- Towed artillery: 480
- Total artillery: 653
- Total military vehicles: 37,662
- Total tanks: 518
- Total MLRS: 54
- Military strength score: 0.1601 – #7 – out of 145
26. Vietnam
Source: Paul Biris / Moment via Getty Images
- Self-propelled artillery: 180
- Towed artillery: 700
- Total artillery: 880
- Total military vehicles: 18,578
- Total tanks: 2,029
- Total MLRS: 450
- Military strength score: 0.3158 – #22 – out of 145
25. United Arab Emirates
Source: tomasdelcoro / Flickr
- Self-propelled artillery: 183
- Towed artillery: 99
- Total artillery: 282
- Total military vehicles: 12,253
- Total tanks: 354
- Total MLRS: 162
- Military strength score: 0.8083 – #51 – out of 145
24. Jordan
Source: Jordan Pix / Getty Images
- Self-propelled artillery: 199
- Towed artillery: 84
- Total artillery: 283
- Total military vehicles: 24,148
- Total tanks: 1,365
- Total MLRS: 88
- Military strength score: 1.4651 – #80 – out of 145
23. Myanmar
Source: mj0007 / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Self-propelled artillery: 215
- Towed artillery: 1,868
- Total artillery: 2,083
- Total military vehicles: 8,139
- Total tanks: 705
- Total MLRS: 586
- Military strength score: 0.5251 – #35 – out of 145
22. Algeria
Source: DancingMan / iStock via Getty Images
- Self-propelled artillery: 224
- Towed artillery: 483
- Total artillery: 707
- Total military vehicles: 35,990
- Total tanks: 1,632
- Total MLRS: 236
- Military strength score: 0.3589 – #26 – out of 145
21. Kazakhstan
- Self-propelled artillery: 246
- Towed artillery: 450
- Total artillery: 696
- Total military vehicles: 6,012
- Total tanks: 300
- Total MLRS: 407
- Military strength score: 0.9495 – #58 – out of 145
20. Iraq
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Self-propelled artillery: 281
- Towed artillery: 1,446
- Total artillery: 1,727
- Total military vehicles: 39,872
- Total tanks: 848
- Total MLRS: 425
- Military strength score: 0.7441 – #45 – out of 145
19. Azerbaijan
Source: usarmyeurope_images / Flickr
- Self-propelled artillery: 294
- Towed artillery: 300
- Total artillery: 594
- Total military vehicles: 29,312
- Total tanks: 920
- Total MLRS: 218
- Military strength score: 0.9934 – #59 – out of 145
18. Syria
Source: mel-nik / iStock via Getty Images
- Self-propelled artillery: 295
- Towed artillery: 2,400
- Total artillery: 2,695
- Total military vehicles: 14,550
- Total tanks: 2,720
- Total MLRS: 614
- Military strength score: 1.0026 – #60 – out of 145
17. Taiwan
- Self-propelled artillery: 300
- Towed artillery: 1,120
- Total artillery: 1,420
- Total military vehicles: 19,868
- Total tanks: 1,010
- Total MLRS: 223
- Military strength score: 0.3302 – #24 – out of 145
16. Belarus
- Self-propelled artillery: 369
- Towed artillery: 170
- Total artillery: 539
- Total military vehicles: 6,700
- Total tanks: 517
- Total MLRS: 206
- Military strength score: 1.0901 – #64 – out of 145
15. Poland
Source: 39955793@N07 / Flickr
- Self-propelled artillery: 525
- Towed artillery: 0
- Total artillery: 525
- Total military vehicles: 13,956
- Total tanks: 612
- Total MLRS: 211
- Military strength score: 0.2917 – #21 – out of 145
14. Morocco
- Self-propelled artillery: 565
- Towed artillery: 306
- Total artillery: 871
- Total military vehicles: 13,710
- Total tanks: 1,564
- Total MLRS: 208
- Military strength score: 1.0081 – #61 – out of 145
13. Iran
Source: Valery Evlakhov / Shutterstock.com
- Self-propelled artillery: 580
- Towed artillery: 2,050
- Total artillery: 2,630
- Total military vehicles: 65,765
- Total tanks: 1,996
- Total MLRS: 775
- Military strength score: 0.2269 – #14 – out of 145
12. Greece
Source: BalkansCat / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Self-propelled artillery: 589
- Towed artillery: 729
- Total artillery: 1,318
- Total military vehicles: 57,030
- Total tanks: 1,365
- Total MLRS: 152
- Military strength score: 0.4349 – #32 – out of 145
11. Israel
Source: Photo by Andrew Burton / Getty Images
- Self-propelled artillery: 650
- Towed artillery: 300
- Total artillery: 950
- Total military vehicles: 43,407
- Total tanks: 1,370
- Total MLRS: 150
- Military strength score: 0.2596 – #17 – out of 145
10. Pakistan
Source: ganeshdhamodkar / Flickr
- Self-propelled artillery: 752
- Towed artillery: 3,238
- Total artillery: 3,990
- Total military vehicles: 50,523
- Total tanks: 3,742
- Total MLRS: 602
- Military strength score: 0.1711 – #9 – out of 145
9. Turkey
Source: IC / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Self-propelled artillery: 1,038
- Towed artillery: 1,747
- Total artillery: 2,785
- Total military vehicles: 55,104
- Total tanks: 2,231
- Total MLRS: 286
- Military strength score: 0.1697 – #8 – out of 145
8. Ukraine
Source: usarmyeurope_images / Flickr
- Self-propelled artillery: 1,205
- Towed artillery: 1,012
- Total artillery: 2,217
- Total military vehicles: 22,110
- Total tanks: 1,777
- Total MLRS: 491
- Military strength score: 0.2598 – #18 – out of 145
7. Saudi Arabia
- Self-propelled artillery: 1,236
- Towed artillery: 2,017
- Total artillery: 3,253
- Total military vehicles: 20,694
- Total tanks: 1,485
- Total MLRS: 490
- Military strength score: 0.3235 – #23 – out of 145
6. Egypt
Source: Chris Hondros / Getty Images
- Self-propelled artillery: 1,489
- Towed artillery: 1,557
- Total artillery: 3,046
- Total military vehicles: 77,596
- Total tanks: 5,340
- Total MLRS: 1,119
- Military strength score: 0.2283 – #15 – out of 145
5. United States
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Self-propelled artillery: 1,595
- Towed artillery: 1,267
- Total artillery: 2,862
- Total military vehicles: 360,069
- Total tanks: 4,657
- Total MLRS: 694
- Military strength score: 0.0699 – #1 – out of 145
4. South Korea
Source: 101561334@N08 / Flickr
- Self-propelled artillery: 3,189
- Towed artillery: 4,863
- Total artillery: 8,052
- Total military vehicles: 66,492
- Total tanks: 2,501
- Total MLRS: 581
- Military strength score: 0.1416 – #5 – out of 145
3. China
Source: Anton Petrus / Moment via Getty Images
- Self-propelled artillery: 3,850
- Towed artillery: 1,434
- Total artillery: 5,284
- Total military vehicles: 174,300
- Total tanks: 5,000
- Total MLRS: 3,180
- Military strength score: 0.0706 – #3 – out of 145
2. North Korea
Source: Anton Petrus / Moment via Getty Images
- Self-propelled artillery: 4,500
- Towed artillery: 4,500
- Total artillery: 9,000
- Total military vehicles: 24,696
- Total tanks: 5,845
- Total MLRS: 2,920
- Military strength score: 0.5313 – #36 – out of 145
1. Russia
- Self-propelled artillery: 6,208
- Towed artillery: 8,356
- Total artillery: 14,564
- Total military vehicles: 161,382
- Total tanks: 14,777
- Total MLRS: 3,065
- Military strength score: 0.0702 – #2 – out of 145
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