From 1992 until 2003 throughout the Georgian army heavily relied on Soviet military equipment which got outdated over time and for most part broken due to ill maintenance . More than 100 T-55 were decommissioned and scrapped since 2000 leaving only a dozen left in the inventory . Numerous other military hardware including T-72 tanks were donated to the armed forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs but these were also decommissioned in 2004 due to its reorganization process . Since 2001 Georgia started aspiring NATO membership and enhancing its military capabilities in cooperation with numerous post-Soviet suppliers such as the Czech Republic and Ukraine . In 2003 the Georgian government undertook efforts in acquiring modern hardware which included a delivery package from Israel over a classified number air defense systems and small arms . Expansions of the agreement that included a long term supply of Merkava III-IV tanks were repeatedly rejected from Israeli side . Thus Georgia began buying large amounts of T-72 tanks which led to a scandal involving the delivery of dozens of broken T-72 from Ukraine . Even though the new plan got revoked a large armoured fleet was established within a few years and in 2005 the Georgian army was able to field over 170 tanks during exercises . With help of Israel and Poland a large portion of T-72 tanks got upgraded with modern electronics . In 2007 Georgia began acquiring more modern hardware from Turkey and other NATO members . During the 2008 Russo-Georgian War , the Georgian military suffered numerous material losses including newly updated tanks and infantry fighting vehicles that got left behind during the ceasefire and captured or destroyed by Russian troops . After the war , Georgia started filling these gaps with renewed agreements and increased its efforts to enhance the country 's defence capabilities . Due to lack of support from its allies and Russian imposed weapons delivery blockades , Georgia found itself in need of finding alternatives . Until 2009 , Georgia was only able to produce uniforms and body armor , helmets which was so limited in amount that it never met the numerical requirements thus making Georgia still dependent from foreign suppliers . Georgia uses a series of domestically produced equipment which have been in mass production since 2009 . These include up to seven land based vehicles , diverse weapons and areal vehicles for reconnaissance . After several years of development the country unveiled its first locally produced armoured personnel carrier , the Didgori . In 2012 the second domestically developed combat vehicle , called the Lazika Infantry Fighting Vehicle was unveiled , however its status remains unclear to this date . Several other objects such as the ZCRS-122 have started a consequent Georgian arms industry and reduced dependency on foreign suppliers to some extent . The largely unofficial arms blockade was eventually lifted as a result of the 2014 Wales summit . Georgia made several deals with France in 2015 to acquire more advanced air defence radars and missiles such as the GM-200 / GM-403 and Mistral systems , which were delivered in 2018 . Further cooperation and contracts are planned to keep improving capabilities particularly in that area . In January 2018 , Georgia also received some 72 FGM-148 missile launchers and a first batch of around 410 missiles from the United States to enhance its anti-tank defence capabilities
2014 Wales summit
2014 Wales summit
Georgian Land Forces