List of weapons of the Portuguese Colonial War

The Portuguese Colonial War (Portuguese: Guerra Colonial), also referred to as the Portuguese Overseas War or Overseas War (Portuguese: Guerra do Ultramar) for short, was a military conflict staged during the Decolonisation of Africa that pitted the guerrilla forces of the African nationalist Liberation movements of the Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Mozambique overseas provinces, which were part of the Portuguese Empire, against the colonial armed and security forces loyal to the authoritarian Estado Novo regime of Portugal, between 1961 and 1975.

Main combatants comprised: An eclectic variety of weapons was used by all sides in the Portuguese Colonial War.

The Portuguese Military and Security Forces serving in the African territories were equipped with Western-made weapon systems from both World War I and World War II, mainly Portuguese, Austro-Hungarian, Danish, German, Italian, French, Canadian and British in origin, but also included more modern Portuguese, Spanish, French, British, Belgian, Dutch, West German, American and South African military hardware.

During the early phase of the war, the African Liberation Movements likewise were largely equipped with WWII-vintage Western arms and munitions, though as the war went on, Soviet, Eastern Bloc and Chinese weaponry began to play a major role, particularly after 1970.

[7] Received from the Portuguese Army or privately purchased, used by colonial public servants and officials as personal side-arms for self-defence.

Portuguese Army soldiers in the beginning of the War in Angola. The camouflage uniforms and the FN FAL assault rifles identify them as Caçadores Especiais . At this time, the remaining Army forces still wore yellow khaki field uniforms and were mostly armed with bolt-action rifles.
Soldiers of the PAIGC raise the flag of Guinea-Bissau in 1974.
Smith & Wesson Model 49 Bodyguard .38 Special.
Pistola-metralhadora FBP m/948.
Uzi with a folding stock.
ArmaLite AR-10 assault rifle (Portuguese model).
FN FAL assault rifle (50.00 model).
Metralhadora ligeira 7,62 mm m/963 HK21
Metralhadora 7,92 mm m/944 MG34 Borsig
Metralhadora pesada 12,7 mm m/955 Browning M2
A Portuguese Air Force Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopter deploying paratroopers armed with 7.62mm ArmaLite AR-10 rifles during an assault operation in Angola.
A Portuguese Air Force F-84G Thunderjet being loaded with ordnance at Luanda Air Base, 1960s.
Portuguese Fiat G.91 fighter-bomber, deployed by the Portuguese Air Force in the theatres of Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique.
Two former Portuguese North American T-6G Texan trainers now on display on the National Museum of Military History in Luanda , Angola, 2015.
A Lockheed PV-2C Harpoons of the Portuguese Air Force , 1970s.
Portuguese Air Force Dornier Do 27.
The large landing craft NRP Alfange supplying the garrison of Bambadinca , Portuguese Guinea, 1973.
MP 40 Submachine gun
MAT-49 Submachine gun
Chinese Type 53 carbine.
SKS semi-automatic rifles were used by the guerrillas before the full introduction of AK-47 and AKM assault rifles.
AK-47 assault rifle, widely used by the African guerrilla movements.
Vz. 58 assault rifle.
Hungarian M/52 rifle with PU 3.5× optics
Chinese Type 53 light machine gun
RP-46 light machine gun
Vz. 52 machine gun
MG 42s (second and third from left) in a training camp of the FNLA , in Zaire , 1973, along with a Madsen machine gun and several Karabiner 98ks and Pattern 1914 Enfields .
FNLA soldiers undergoing training with a DShKM 12.7mm Heavy machine gun at a base camp in Zaire , 22 August 1973.
PAIGC guerrillas armed with AKMs and Type 69 RPGs manning a checkpoint in Guinea-Bissau, 1974.
Heavy equipment used by the PAIGC , including two ZiS-2 and ZiS-3 anti-tank guns, a DShKM Heavy machine gun and a B-10 recoilless rifle, now on display at Bissau.
GAZ-66 light truck in military service with the PAIGC liberation movement in Guinea-Bissau, 1973.