Black Mountain Brigade — Equipment¶

The Black Mountain Brigade fields Choktovakian-pattern combined-arms equipment at PMC scale — small-army-sized inventories of the same families of small arms, vehicles, and aircraft fielded by the Royal Armed Forces of Choktovakia. The lineage is historical: at the 1991 split the Free Black Mountain Council fighters took their Choktovakian-issue kit with them, and the Brigade has maintained and modernized that kit ever since. The supply chain is hybrid — domestic production at the Republican Arms Cooperative (small arms) and Svobodograd Vehicles (armored vehicle assembly) under licence/transfer arrangements established during the rebellion era, supplemented by CSAT commercial channels for the heavier categories (T-14 fleet, attack helicopters, modern electronics) and by the opaque Choktovakian-pattern arms market for sustainment and consumables.

This page is the consolidated equipment catalog. For the Brigade's organizational, doctrinal, and political context see Black Mountain Brigade.

Small arms¶

Role	Designation	Caliber	Notes
Service rifle	VHS-K (5.56mm bullpup)	5.56×45mm	VHS-2 family; produced under licence by the Republican Arms Cooperative at Svobodograd; integral 1.5× optic plus reflex as the standard sight
Carbine	VHS-K carbine variant	5.56×45mm	Vehicle crews, 3rd Operational Wing rotary crews, 5th Operational Wing direct-action units
Compact carbine / CQB	VHS-K CQB	5.56×45mm	5th Operational Wing close-quarters work
Designated marksman rifle	SVD-M	7.62×54R	Squad designated marksman; same as Choktovakian doctrine
Sniper rifle	SV-98	7.62×54R	Bolt-action; 5th Operational Wing precision shooters
Anti-materiel rifle	ASVK	12.7×108mm	Limited fielding
Sidearm	PYa "Yarygin"	9×19mm	Choktovakian-pattern, domestically refurbished
Squad automatic / LMG	RPK-16 / PKP "Pecheneg"	5.45×39mm / 7.62×54R	Standard squad/section automatic
General-purpose MG	PKM / PKP "Pecheneg"	7.62×54R	Battalion-level GPMG
Heavy machine gun	Kord	12.7×108mm	Vehicle and tripod mounts

Infantry support weapons¶

Role	Designation	Notes
Underbarrel grenade launcher	GP-34 (40mm)	Mounted on VHS-K bullpup
Automatic grenade launcher	AGS-30 "Plamya" 30mm	Crew-served, vehicle-mountable
Light anti-tank, disposable	RPG-26 / RPG-30	RPG-30 in priority Wings
Anti-tank, reusable	RPG-29 "Vampir"	Modern tandem-charge; Brigade priority equipment
ATGM, man-portable	Kornet-EM	Fire-and-forget capable; widely distributed across deployable Wings
ATGM, vehicle-mounted	Kornet	Mounted on BMP-3M / Pandur II / Tigr-M platforms
MANPADS	Verba (9K333)	Modern; limited inventory at squad/section level
Light mortar	82mm 2B14 "Podnos"	Company / battalion level
Heavy mortar	120mm 2S12 "Sani"	Battalion / regimental level; Pandur II mortar-carrier variant for mounted fires

Soldier kit and protection¶

Body armor — plates: Level IV hard plates across deployable Wings (5th Wing especially); Level III for Training and Headquarters elements
Body armor — soft: Level IIIA soft armor
Helmet: Level IIIA composite ballistic helmet
Night vision: Gen 3 across deployable Wings; fusion thermal/NV for 5th Wing direct-action units
Squad radio: Modern encrypted handheld with CSAT-supplied SATCOM integration
Rifle optic: VHS-K integral 1.5× optic plus reflex (standard); magnified optic plus thermal sights issued for 5th Wing
IFF / blue-force tracker: Networked BFT issued to deployable Wings — contract-operations requirement to interoperate with client forces

The protection and optronics standard is comparable to first-tier national militaries; PMC contract revenue funds the lifecycle replacement that the Protectorate's nominal defense budget could not sustain on its own.

Armored vehicles¶

Role	Designation	Notes
Main battle tank	T-14 Armata	~30–40 hulls; Choktovakian-pattern (same family as RAF); concentrated in tank squadrons within the combined-arms regiments of the 1st and 2nd Operational Wings; the only 5th-generation MBT in PMC service on Europa
Tracked IFV	BMP-3M	Choktovakian-pattern; locally assembled at Svobodograd Vehicles under licence; moderate fleet
Wheeled IFV/APC	Pandur II 8×8	Choktovakian-pattern; the principal Brigade combat vehicle; locally assembled at Svobodograd Vehicles; multiple variants (APC, RECCE, command, mortar carrier, ATGM, ambulance, engineer)
Tracked APC (second-line)	MT-LB	Older Choktovakian-pattern; second-line and engineer roles
Reconnaissance vehicle	Pandur II RECCE / Tigr-M	Wing and regimental recon platoons
MRAP / mine-protected	Typhoon-K equivalent	Limited inventory; selected counter-IED roles for contract operations
Light tactical vehicle	Tigr-M	Standard Brigade LTV
Light utility	UAZ-pattern 4×4	Choktovakian-pattern; locally maintained
Medium logistics truck	Ural-4320	Standard medium logistics
Heavy logistics / PLS	KamAZ-pattern	Heavy logistics, sustainment
Engineering vehicle	Pandur II combat-engineer variant; T-14-derived BREM (limited)	Plus substantial marshland-specific engineering inventory
Specialty mobility	Amphibious-traverse vehicles, shallow-draft small craft	Marsh-warfare specialty; the Brigade's terrain signature

Artillery¶

Role	Designation	Notes
Self-propelled howitzer (tracked)	2S35 "Koalitsiya" 152mm	Choktovakian-pattern modern; the Brigade's priority artillery system; principally fielded with the 1st and 2nd Operational Wings
Towed howitzer (medium)	2A65 "Msta-B" 152mm	Choktovakian-pattern; limited inventory at PMC scale
MLRS (medium)	BM-21M "Tornado-G"	Choktovakian-pattern; limited inventory

The Brigade does not field heavy MLRS, tactical ballistic missiles, or coastal anti-ship systems — too large-scale for PMC operations, and the Protectorate is landlocked.

Air defense (ground-based)¶

Role	Designation	Notes
Long-range SAM	None	Strategic air-defense relies on CSAT's external-defense Treaty obligation
Medium-range SAM	Limited Buk-M3 holding	Force-protection only
Short-range SAM / SHORAD	Pantsir-S1 equivalent	Limited inventory for force protection
MANPADS	Verba (9K333)	Squad/section level in deployable Wings
Radar	Tactical force-protection radars only	No operational-level air-defense radar

Aviation (3rd Operational Wing)¶

The Brigade's aviation is consolidated in the 3rd Operational Wing "Aviation" — rotary-wing and light fixed-wing only. There are no combat jets, strategic-strike platforms, or fixed-wing air-defense aircraft.

Role	Designation	Notes
Attack helicopter	Mi-28NM "Havoc" and Ka-52 "Alligator"	~30 total attack helicopters across the two types
Medium transport helicopter	Mi-17 "Hip"	Assault insertion + sustainment
Heavy lift	Mi-26 "Halo"	Limited inventory; the Brigade's organic strategic-airlift contribution
Light reconnaissance	Light fixed-wing observation aircraft + light helicopters	Tactical and operational reconnaissance
UAS	Extensive tactical and operational ISR inventory + growing armed-drone capability	Operationally significant given cost-effectiveness and PMC-deniability advantages

Naval¶

None. The Protectorate is landlocked. The Brigade maintains shallow-water riverine and marsh-traverse small-craft capability under 1st and 2nd Wing engineer detachments, but no blue-water or coastal naval forces, and no submarines.

Defense industry¶

The Protectorate's defense-industrial base is small and concentrated in three facilities:

Republican Arms Cooperative (Svobodograd) — small arms (VHS-K bullpup as principal product, under opaque licence/transfer originally established in the rebellion era), ammunition, light support weapons
Svobodograd Vehicles — local assembly of Choktovakian-pattern AFVs (BMP-3M, Pandur II 8×8) under licence/transfer arrangements; refurbishment and modernization of the T-14 Armata fleet
Marsh Engineering Combine — marsh-warfare specialty equipment (amphibious bridging, marsh-mat road construction, shallow-draft small craft)

Most heavy equipment is supplied through CSAT commercial channels rather than produced domestically. The Brigade cannot produce tanks (fully assembled), attack helicopters, transport aircraft, electronics, advanced munitions, or SAM systems at home — these flow through CSAT or through the opaque Choktovakian-pattern arms market. The Brigade's own contract services are the Protectorate's largest physical export by foreign-currency value; there are no significant physical defense exports.