Ratel IFV

Ratel IFV
CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Ratel IFV
Origin	South Africa
Type	Infantry fighting vehicle
In service	1976–present
Used by	South African Army, others
Designer	Atlas Aircraft Corporation, South African Defence Force
Manufacturer	Sandock-Austral
Production date	1976–1997
Number	~2,200
Weight	18.8 tonnes
Crew	3 + 10 infantry
Armament	20 mm cannon, 7.62 mm machine gun, 60 mm mortar (varies)
Engine	Perkins Engines diesel
Suspension	6×6 wheeled
Speed	105 km/h

Ratel IFV The Ratel IFV is a South African six-wheeled infantry fighting vehicle developed during the 1960s–1970s for use in South African Border War operations, designed to integrate infantry, firepower and mobility. It entered service with the South African Defence Force and later the South African National Defence Force, seeing action in regional conflicts and influencing wheeled IFV concepts worldwide. Its design reflects responses to embargoes following United Nations Security Council Resolution 418 and leverages domestic firms such as Sandock-Austral, Atlas Aircraft Corporation, and Perkins Engines.

Development and Design

Development began amid escalating tensions after the Sharpeville massacre era and during Cold War geopolitics that affected Apartheid South Africa's access to imports. Designers at Sandock-Austral and Atlas Aircraft Corporation prioritized mobility for operations across Angola and Namibia's terrain, combining a 6×6 configuration with long-range fuel capacity for convoy operations influenced by lessons from the Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War. The Ratel's hull and troop compartment reflect counterinsurgency requirements encountered in the South African Border War and doctrinal shifts similar to those in the Israeli Defence Forces and French Army armored doctrines. Constraints from United Nations arms embargo policies drove indigenous solutions in armor fabrication, powertrain sourcing from Perkins Engines, and armament selection guided by experiences reported from the Vietnam War and Soviet–Afghan War.

Variants and Armament

The Ratel family includes multiple variants configured for roles such as mechanized infantry, fire support, command, mortar carrier, and anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) platforms. The Ratel-20 mounts a 20 mm cannon comparable to systems used by British Army reconnaissance vehicles and features coaxial 7.62 mm machine guns akin to FN MAG installations in NATO forces. The Ratel-90 carries a 90 mm gun influenced by lessons from South African Armored Corps fire support doctrine and parallels with the French AMX-13 armament approach. ATGM-equipped versions used missiles inspired by procurement patterns observed in NATO and Warsaw Pact arsenals. Mortar carrier variants house 60 mm or 81 mm systems fulfilling artillery-infantry integration principles practiced by the United States Marine Corps and Soviet Army combined-arms units.

Operational History

Ratel units first deployed in the South African Border War and later participated in operations across Angola, Mozambique, and internal security actions within South Africa during the final decades of the 20th century. The vehicle supported counterinsurgency operations against SWAPO and UNITA forces and engaged in conventional engagements such as clashes near Cuito Cuanavale, reflecting intersections with Cuban and Soviet Union backed forces. Post-apartheid, the Ratel served in United Nations and African Union peacekeeping missions, operating alongside contingents from Namibia, Botswana, and the Congolese Armed Forces in multinational deployments.

Combat Performance and Doctrine

Combat use demonstrated the Ratel's suitability for rapid, long-range maneuver warfare across expansive terrains similar to doctrines employed by the Israeli Defence Forces and French Foreign Legion. Its wheeled design offered strategic mobility on highways and logistical routes linking operations near Luanda and Windhoek, but vulnerabilities to anti-armor weapons used by FAPLA and allied Cuban forces highlighted armor limitations analogous to critiques of other wheeled IFVs encountered in the Gulf War. Lessons influenced South African mechanized doctrine revisions and informed procurement debates involving comparisons with tracked platforms fielded by the British Army and US Army.

Production and Operators

Manufacture was led by Sandock-Austral with components from Perkins Engines and local steel suppliers, producing roughly 2,200 units between the 1970s and 1990s for the South African Defence Force and export customers. Operators included South African National Defence Force, Namibian Defence Force, Botswana Ground Force, and limited export to nations in Africa, reflecting South Africa's regional security ties and arms market interactions under sanctions similar to those faced by other pariah states during Cold War geopolitics.

Survivability and Modifications

The Ratel's survivability relied on sloped steel armor providing protection against small arms and shell splinters, with later upgrades introducing appliqué armor, smoke grenade dischargers, and mine-resistant adaptations shaped by experiences with anti-tank mines and improvised explosive devices encountered in the Border War and regional conflicts. Modifications paralleled international trends in up-armoring seen in vehicles like the Mowag Piranha and retrofits inspired by urban combat lessons from the Bosnian War and counterinsurgency campaigns in Iraq.

Technical Specifications

Basic specifications include a combat weight around 18.8 tonnes, a crew of three (driver, commander, gunner) plus up to ten infantry, a Perkins Engines diesel powerplant, six-wheel drive suspension, maximum road speed near 105 km/h, operational range suitable for long-distance patrols, and armament options including 20 mm autocannons, 7.62 mm machine guns, 60–81 mm mortars, and 90 mm guns depending on variant—paralleling configuration diversity found in IFV families used by the French Army, British Army, and US Army.

Category:Armoured fighting vehicles of South Africa