Special Presidential Division
The special presidential division (French: Division Spécial Présidentielle, better known by its acronym, DSP) are the elite forces responsible for the protection of the President of Zaire. They are the best-equipped, best-paid, and best-trained forces in the entire military. Trained by Israeli advisors, they are ruthlessly efficient. Nearly all members are recruited from the President's tribe and region. There are 20,000 DSP soldiers. One of the top units of the DSP, known as Les Hiboux (the Owls), is occasionally used to harass antigovernment dissidents. Prior to the Kabila rebellion, they were among the only military forces paid regularly. Even today, they enjoy considerably better pay, higher standards of training, and and better equipment than their counterparts. The DSP is commanded by President Mobutu's cousin, General Nzimbi Ngbale.
The DSP employs the same weapons as other units of the armed forces, although it uses Transylvanian Body Armor, the DAC-99 Personal Defense Weapon, and the TDX .40 Caliber Standard Issue Sidearm in place of their equivalents. In addition, the DSP also has several vehicles at its disposal that the other branches of the armed forces do not.
Major Ground Vehicles
| Name | Type | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| SG-SPA3V1 Cougar | Airborne assault self-propelled howitzer | 75 |
| SG-A6V1 Fox | Airborne assault armored personnel carrier | 75 |
| T-95 Black Eagle | Main battle tank | 50 |
| Type 99 | Main battle tank | 50 |
| STORMER 30 | Armored reconnaissance vehicle | 20 |
| M777A1 | Lightweight field howitzer | 125 |
| Type 88 | Towed howitzer | 125 |
| M65 Godhammer | Self-propelled atomic artillery | 125 |
| M-12 FireStorm | Multiple launch rocket system | 50 |
| 9k58 Smerch | Wheeled multiple launch rocket system | 90 |
| APAV | Wheeled armored fighting vehicle | 45 |
| Stryker | Fast armored personnel carrier | 45 |
| Warrior | Light armored vehicle | 30 |
| BMP-3 | Infantry fighting vehicle | 30 |
| ZSU-23-4 Shilka | Self-propelled antiaircraft gun | 100 |
| ZU-23 | Towed antiaircraft gun | 100 |
| M151 | All-purpose Jeep | 250 |
| M813A1 | Cargo truck | 100 |
Major Air Vehicles
| Name | Type | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| F/A-35 Talon | Interceptor | 5 |
| Mirage 2000C | Interceptor | 12 |
| F-117 Nighthawk | Stealth attack | 2 |
| Su-37 Flanker | Air superiority fighter | 6 |
| Su-47 Berkut | All-weather fighter | 6 |
| Q-5 Fantan | Close-support fighter | 3 |
| Tornado IDS | Ground attack fighter | 3 |
| EB-180 “Stargazer” | Multi-role hypersonic heavy bomber | 1 |
| Tiger Anti-Tank | Light anti-tank helicopter | 4 |
| Ka-50 Hokum | Anti-armor helicopter | 4 |
| AH-1Z Super Cobra | Attack helicopter | 4 |
| Mi-24 Hind | Attack helicopter | 7 |
| AS-565 Panther | Multi-role light helicopter | 10 |
| UH-60 Blackhawk | Special operations helicopter | 5 |
| RAH-66 Comanche | Scout helicopter | 5 |
| An-72 Coaler | Medium transport | 20 |
