Opinions on South African equipment ?

Killjoy

New Member
No prob. Anything else you want. Got some pics from the yearly artillery demo here in potch. Buddy of mine got videos but needs to be made digital. I am also going down to tempe this weekend for a visit arranged for the IPMS to the armored school. I usually take alot of pics so let me know what you need.
 

sa_bushwar

New Member
Please send your email address, then we don't have to communicate in the forum.

Also, do you have the date of the 2006 Artillery demo in Potch?

Please send anything related to the SADF or SANDF, especially related to the Bushwar. Can your buddy copy the videos?

Let us know what you saw at the armour museum!
 

webmaster

Troll Hunter
Staff member
Killjoy said:
No prob. Anything else you want. Got some pics from the yearly artillery demo here in potch. Buddy of mine got videos but needs to be made digital. I am also going down to tempe this weekend for a visit arranged for the IPMS to the armored school. I usually take alot of pics so let me know what you need.
Please upload the pictures in the Gallery if you can. If you need to have a specific category created, let me know.
 

Killjoy

New Member
Hi I just got back today at the office and will send that DVD of as soon as possible. As to the pictures. There are about 1.2 Gigs worth of pictures that I took. I will get the best and we can post those. Just some highlights of the weekend:

Demonstration of a T72 bought from poland in 1987 (Hush-Hush)
Demonstration of the cross country ability of both the Rooikat and TTD (Tank Technology Demonstrator) stored at the museum as it is quiet old now
Permision to climb over and into most of the exhibits at the museum including a T55 (damn it is small inside)
 

sa_bushwar

New Member
Killjoy said:
Hi I just got back today at the office and will send that DVD of as soon as possible. As to the pictures. There are about 1.2 Gigs worth of pictures that I took. I will get the best and we can post those. Just some highlights of the weekend:

Demonstration of a T72 bought from poland in 1987 (Hush-Hush)
Demonstration of the cross country ability of both the Rooikat and TTD (Tank Technology Demonstrator) stored at the museum as it is quiet old now
Permision to climb over and into most of the exhibits at the museum including a T55 (damn it is small inside)
Must have been very interesting - please send the phoyos as well - will refund postage if required!

Any news on the Potch Artillery day? I was at the school of Artillery in 1979, and would love to go back for an Artillery demo!
 

Killjoy

New Member
Don't worry about the postage. About the open day? I will have to keep you posted. Will try and find out an approxiamate date.
 

Shaka

New Member
Guys,

Sorry to barge in like this. I've been reading this particular forum for 2 days now and simply had to jump right in.
I read that there is a PZH2000 in the country, testing Denel's new 52 calibre ammo. They seem quite impressed.
As for the Rooivalk, the project is growing stronger as Eurocopter now market it. It lost out on a few major tenders world-wide, only because Denel tried to promote it's weapon systems with it. The Aussies particularly was interested in the Rooivalk, but already have a major contract with America for the Hellfire missile. Since the Rooivalk can not carry any other missiles, the Aussies had to decline. They recon it is the most underrated (along with Havoc maybe) gunship available. The Rooivalk has since been adjusted to take the Hellfire missile, along with Matra and Sidewinder AA missiles. Let's hope sales pick up. Don't know why the other countries don't want our missiles. I'm told that Mokopa is a generation ahead of Hellfire, maybe even better than Brimstone.
 

Mercenary

New Member
I really admire the South African Defense Industry's steller achievements in weapon designs that are totally engineered to their respective environment and topography.

Considering that the SA Defense Industry was born under a U.N. Arm's Embargo (now over) decades ago and has matured into a serious contender on the world's arms market is impressive to say the very least!

The ROOIKAT 8x8 wheeled Armored Recon. Vehicle's frontal hull armor stops 23mm APFSDS (Armored Peircing Fin Stabilzed Discarding Sabot) rounds which are commonly found all over on the Southern continent by various nations and groups. The rest of the Rooikat's hull armor stops 14.5mm API rounds all around and that's standard not an upgrade. This is a well thought out and designed combat vehicle. It's got a excellent combat info. system, full power turrel traverse and elevation with manual controls for emergency use (France's best selling 4x4 AML-90 and 6x6 ERC-90 F4 Sagie Armored Cars only use manual turrets) and the 76mm gun fires APFSDS rounds with a fairly generous ammunition capacity of 48 shells. This gun and it's ammunition is more than enough to defeat T-55/T-62 MBT's in use by South Africa's ememies. Did I mention the Rooikat's top road speed of 70-mph? It's road range is superb for fast deployments and long endurance missions. In short the ROOIKAT 8x8 is one of the best Armored Recon. Vehicles in existence.

I'd like to also point out that nearly all South African designed armored vehicles from their 4x4 CASSIPIR APC to those Mamba's are built with V-shaped chassis to 'deflect' the explosion of Russian made Anti-Tank Mines!

The Casspir APC can withstand the blast of two anti-rank mines at the same time with no loss of life to it's occupants. Something those worthless Humvees will never be able to achieve in their current pathetic form.

The US Miltiary found out the hard bloody way just how vulnerable wheeled vehicles are when improperly designed. They are now using several different South African V-shaped hull armored vehicles for everything from anti-mine roadway clearance to APC useage.

The RATEL 20 6x6 has been proven to be tough in bush conditions and as with nearly ALL South African combat systems has been battle proven. It also has a rather high ammuniton capacity of 1,200 rounds for it's 20mm cannon about one third more rounds than other 6x6 IFV's.

The modernized Centurion MBT's are capable of defeating other neighoring nation's Tanks, but it's dated and needs to be replaced. I suspect given the strong German connection to high tech weaponary the SA Army will procure Leopard 2A5 or higher rated Main Battle Tanks. Maybe licence manufacture?

The SA Navy's new German built Frigates and Attack Submarines are first rate and very capable in all regards. The GM Frigate is extremely well armed with SA's own VLS anti-missile system and twin 35mm AA guns. They are also very beamy offering good stability for those actrocious waters found in South Africa's EEZ.

The SA Army's G-6 6x6 wheeled SP 155mm Howitzer firing base-bleed shells can reach targets 25-miles distant and it's reputed to be able to reach well beyond that. It's got excellent mobility a truely fine peice of Artillery indeed.

Don't forget your country has also manufactured a top belt-fed Light Machine Gun and Assault Rifle as well as a host of other combat proven realiable small arms from combat Shotguns to drum-fed 40mm Grenade Launchers.

In short South Africa's Arm's Industries kick ass! :)

I'd be proud.
 

Shaka

New Member
Seriously proud indeed!

I also heard the rumours that the next MBT is likely to be Leopard A2, we'll have to wait and see. Politics is a tricky thing, as we found out years ago with the French, Brits and Italians. Our pilots were trained with Aer-Macchi MB326's which were also user for ground support. When time came to upgrade, the Italians expected us to use their new trainers, but the Brits won the tender with their Hawks. The Italians weren't all too pleased. The French supplied us with Mirage III's and F1's but refused to upgrade those planes as they were bound under the trade embargo. So of course when we needed a new fighter, they thought we'd go for the Mirage 2000 or Rafale. We instead bought the Grippen. They too weren't pleased about that. Luckily the contracts were already signed for their Matra air-to-air missiles!!
 

Mercenary

New Member
Skaka,

Yep! And don't forget when the France refused to honor their deal to sell those newly built TYPE A69 class Missile Frigates that South Africa had ordered. France turned around and eventually sold them to Argentina.

Italy might have lost out to the British HAWK Combat Trainer Jet, but Italy did score a nice contract to sell 40 A-109 8-seat multi-role Helicopters to SA.

The next big contract sometime in the future besides a new Main Battle Tank for the South African Army will be the new medium lift Helicopter to replace the SAF's modified SUPER PUMA's. I'm betting it'll be a contest between the NH-90 and EH-101 MERLIN. The Merlin will be a serious contender because SA needs a long-range Search & Rescue helicopter for over-water. And they'll probably be looking at modifiying a few locally for Combat SAR as well.

I doubt the AS-532UL COUGAR MK II/EC-725 will even be considered as it's pretty close to the capabilites of their ONYX Helo's they operate now.

If a fourth Helicopter were to be needed (primary training) the EC-120 COBRI or something in that smaller class would be an excellent contender.
 

aaaditya

New Member
india acquired about 90 brand new caspirs from south africa but were extremely dissapointed by their performance ,they then evaluated them against older(unmodified caspirs) and found them to be better suited to indian conditions than the newer ones and hence cancelled a follow up order for new built caspirs ,and purchased 300 older/unmodified caspirs.

seems of late south africans are having quality problems.
 

sa_bushwar

New Member
CD with photos.

Killjoy said:
Hi I just got back today at the office and will send that DVD of as soon as possible. As to the pictures. There are about 1.2 Gigs worth of pictures that I took. I will get the best and we can post those. Just some highlights of the weekend:

Demonstration of a T72 bought from poland in 1987 (Hush-Hush)
Demonstration of the cross country ability of both the Rooikat and TTD (Tank Technology Demonstrator) stored at the museum as it is quiet old now
Permision to climb over and into most of the exhibits at the museum including a T55 (damn it is small inside)
Hi Killjoy!

Hope you have not forgotten about the CD with photos - cannot wait to see it!

Please mail to:
MB van Aardt.
PO BOX 71721
The Willows
Pretoria
0041.

Thanks in advance!
 
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