List of weapons used by the Irish National Liberation Army during The Troubles (1969–1997).
Obtaining arms was one of the greatest difficulties faced by the INLA in its early years. Their Marxism made them beyond help from Catholic Irish-America, who had traditionally been a lifeline for funds and weapons for Irish republicans engaged in armed struggle. At a time when the Provisional IRA seemed replete with Armalites, the INLA was mainly armed with shotguns, which the rank and file wryly took to calling "Costello-ites" after their leader. The INLA's main source of arms early on was from sympathizers in the Middle East, from where they imported a contingent of AK-pattern rifles in 1978 and later much larger shipments of arms via a French contact. [1]
Model | Image | Caliber | Type | Origin | Details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pistols | ||||||
PA63 | 9×18mm Makarov | Pistol | Hungary | [2] | ||
Browning Hi-Power | 9×19mm Parabellum | Pistol | Belgium | [3] | ||
CZ 75 | 9×19mm Parabellum | Pistol | Czechoslovakia | [4] | ||
Walther P38 | 9×19mm Parabellum | Pistol | Germany | [5] | ||
Webley Revolver | .455 Webley | Revolver | United Kingdom | [6] | ||
Walther PPK | 9×17mm Short (.380 ACP) | Pistol | Germany | Stolen from an off-duty Royal Irish Regiment soldier's car in Dublin in 1994. [7] | ||
Rifles | ||||||
Lee–Enfield | .303 British | Bolt action rifle | United Kingdom | Used in a sniper attack as late as 1989. [8] | ||
M1 carbine | .30 Carbine | Semi-automatic Carbine | United States | [9] | ||
M1 Garand | .30-06 Springfield | Semi-automatic rifle | United States | [10] | ||
Ruger Mini-14 | 5.56×45mm NATO | Semi-automatic rifle | United States | [11] | ||
SKS | 7.62×39mm | Semi-automatic rifle | Soviet Union | [12] | ||
AR-15 | 5.56×45mm NATO | Semi-automatic rifle | United States | [13] | ||
FN FAL | 7.62×51mm NATO | Battle rifle | Belgium | Intercepted as part of an arms shipment in 1995. [14] | ||
Springfield Armory M1A | 7.62×51mm NATO | Semi-automatic rifle | United States | [15] | ||
Gewehr 43 | 7.92×57mm Mauser | Semi-automatic rifle | Nazi Germany | [16] | ||
Assault rifles | ||||||
AK-47 | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Soviet Union | [17] | ||
AKM | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Soviet Union | [18] | ||
AK-63 | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Hungary | Intercepted as part of an arms shipment in 1995. [14] | ||
M16 | 5.56×45mm NATO | Assault rifle | United States | |||
CAR-15 Commando | 5.56×45mm NATO | Assault rifle | United States | Imported around 1985. [19] | ||
Sig 540 | 5.56x45mm NATO | Assault Rifle | Switzerland | Reportedly taken from an INLA arms cache by the IRA in 1984. [20] Also reported in the possession of the INLA in Newry in 1986. [21] "Swiss-made automatic weapon" reportedly used in attack on UDR soldier in Armagh in 1987. [22] | ||
RK 62 | .223 Remington/ 5.56×45mm NATO | Assault rifle | Finland | Several used in INLA attacks in mid-1980s, including abortive assassination attempt targeting Ian Paisley. [23] [24] A single example seen at INLA funeral in 2019. Possible civilian version with long barrel and different muzzle brake, chambered in .223/5.56. [25] | ||
Submachine guns | ||||||
M3 submachine gun | .45 ACP | Submachine Gun | United States | [26] | ||
Sterling submachine gun | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine Gun | United Kingdom | [27] | ||
Uzi | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine Gun | Israel | |||
Sanna 77 | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine Gun | Rhodesia | [28] | ||
Škorpion vz. 61 | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine Gun | Czechoslovakia | [29] | ||
MP5 | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine Gun | Germany | Stolen from a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) vehicle in May 2000. [30] |
Model | Image | Type | Origin | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
IED | Improvised explosive device | Ireland | Often using Gelignite or a Soviet-made plastic explosive, possibly Semtex. | |
Molotov cocktail | Incendiary device | Ireland | ||
Various models of Chinese and Soviet-made hand grenades | Hand Grenade |
Soviet Union People's Republic of China |
[31] |
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List of weapons used by the Irish National Liberation Army during The Troubles (1969–1997).
Obtaining arms was one of the greatest difficulties faced by the INLA in its early years. Their Marxism made them beyond help from Catholic Irish-America, who had traditionally been a lifeline for funds and weapons for Irish republicans engaged in armed struggle. At a time when the Provisional IRA seemed replete with Armalites, the INLA was mainly armed with shotguns, which the rank and file wryly took to calling "Costello-ites" after their leader. The INLA's main source of arms early on was from sympathizers in the Middle East, from where they imported a contingent of AK-pattern rifles in 1978 and later much larger shipments of arms via a French contact. [1]
Model | Image | Caliber | Type | Origin | Details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pistols | ||||||
PA63 | 9×18mm Makarov | Pistol | Hungary | [2] | ||
Browning Hi-Power | 9×19mm Parabellum | Pistol | Belgium | [3] | ||
CZ 75 | 9×19mm Parabellum | Pistol | Czechoslovakia | [4] | ||
Walther P38 | 9×19mm Parabellum | Pistol | Germany | [5] | ||
Webley Revolver | .455 Webley | Revolver | United Kingdom | [6] | ||
Walther PPK | 9×17mm Short (.380 ACP) | Pistol | Germany | Stolen from an off-duty Royal Irish Regiment soldier's car in Dublin in 1994. [7] | ||
Rifles | ||||||
Lee–Enfield | .303 British | Bolt action rifle | United Kingdom | Used in a sniper attack as late as 1989. [8] | ||
M1 carbine | .30 Carbine | Semi-automatic Carbine | United States | [9] | ||
M1 Garand | .30-06 Springfield | Semi-automatic rifle | United States | [10] | ||
Ruger Mini-14 | 5.56×45mm NATO | Semi-automatic rifle | United States | [11] | ||
SKS | 7.62×39mm | Semi-automatic rifle | Soviet Union | [12] | ||
AR-15 | 5.56×45mm NATO | Semi-automatic rifle | United States | [13] | ||
FN FAL | 7.62×51mm NATO | Battle rifle | Belgium | Intercepted as part of an arms shipment in 1995. [14] | ||
Springfield Armory M1A | 7.62×51mm NATO | Semi-automatic rifle | United States | [15] | ||
Gewehr 43 | 7.92×57mm Mauser | Semi-automatic rifle | Nazi Germany | [16] | ||
Assault rifles | ||||||
AK-47 | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Soviet Union | [17] | ||
AKM | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Soviet Union | [18] | ||
AK-63 | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Hungary | Intercepted as part of an arms shipment in 1995. [14] | ||
M16 | 5.56×45mm NATO | Assault rifle | United States | |||
CAR-15 Commando | 5.56×45mm NATO | Assault rifle | United States | Imported around 1985. [19] | ||
Sig 540 | 5.56x45mm NATO | Assault Rifle | Switzerland | Reportedly taken from an INLA arms cache by the IRA in 1984. [20] Also reported in the possession of the INLA in Newry in 1986. [21] "Swiss-made automatic weapon" reportedly used in attack on UDR soldier in Armagh in 1987. [22] | ||
RK 62 | .223 Remington/ 5.56×45mm NATO | Assault rifle | Finland | Several used in INLA attacks in mid-1980s, including abortive assassination attempt targeting Ian Paisley. [23] [24] A single example seen at INLA funeral in 2019. Possible civilian version with long barrel and different muzzle brake, chambered in .223/5.56. [25] | ||
Submachine guns | ||||||
M3 submachine gun | .45 ACP | Submachine Gun | United States | [26] | ||
Sterling submachine gun | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine Gun | United Kingdom | [27] | ||
Uzi | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine Gun | Israel | |||
Sanna 77 | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine Gun | Rhodesia | [28] | ||
Škorpion vz. 61 | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine Gun | Czechoslovakia | [29] | ||
MP5 | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine Gun | Germany | Stolen from a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) vehicle in May 2000. [30] |
Model | Image | Type | Origin | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
IED | Improvised explosive device | Ireland | Often using Gelignite or a Soviet-made plastic explosive, possibly Semtex. | |
Molotov cocktail | Incendiary device | Ireland | ||
Various models of Chinese and Soviet-made hand grenades | Hand Grenade |
Soviet Union People's Republic of China |
[31] |
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