Ratel IFV
| Ratel 20 | |
|---|---|
Ratel 20 at the Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town
|
|
| Type | Infantry fighting vehicle |
| Place of origin | South Africa |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1977 – present |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1968 |
| Produced | 1974 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 18.5 tonnes (18,500 kg) |
| Length | 7.212 metres (23.66 ft) |
| Width | 2.516 metres (8.25 ft) |
| Height | 2.915 metres (9.56 ft) |
| Crew | 3 + 7 |
|
|
|
| Armor | 20 mm (0.79 in) |
|
Main
armament |
20 mm (0.79 in) autocannon |
|
Secondary
armament |
|
| Engine | D 3256 BTXF 6-cylinder in-line turbocharged diesel 282 hp (210 kW) |
| Power/weight | 15.24 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | Wheeled 6x6, 350 mm (14 in) clearance |
|
Operational
range |
1,000 kilometres (620 miles) |
| Speed | 115 km/h (71 mph) (road); 65 km/h (40 mph) (off-road) |
| Ratel 90 | |
|---|---|
Ratel 90
|
|
| Type | Fire Support vehicle |
| Place of origin | South Africa |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 19 tonnes (19,000 kg) |
| Length | 7.21 m (23.65 ft) |
| Width | 2.7 m (8.86 ft) |
| Height | 2.395 m (7.86 ft) |
| Crew | 4 + 6 |
|
|
|
| Armor | 20 mm (0.79 in) |
|
Main
armament |
90 mm (3.54 in) GT-2 semi-automatic gun |
|
Secondary
armament |
|
| Engine | ADE 407 TI turbocharged diesel 315 hp (235 kW) |
| Power/weight | 15.24 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | Wheeled 6x6, 350 mm (14 in) clearance |
|
Operational
range |
1,000 kilometres (620 miles) |
| Speed | 105 km/h (65 mph) (road); 30 km/h (19 mph) (off-road) |
The Ratel is the basic infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) of the South African National Defence Force's mechanized infantry battalions. Ratel is the Afrikaans name for the honey badger, which has a reputation as a ferocious fighter. The Ratel was the first wheeled IFV to enter military service, and is generally regarded as an influential design; a number of other countries have since produced vehicles similar to the Ratel, including the Chinese WZ-523. Büssing also sold the rights to its original prototype to Belgium, which in turn produced the SIBMAS. The Ratel-20 is the primary squad IFV, with the Ratel-60, Ratel-90, and Ratel-ZT3 (the anti-tank guided missile version) used primarily in anti-armour, support, and reconnaissance elements within a battalion. The vehicle usually carries a crew of two or three men, with a seven-man infantry squad. In the Ratel-20 squad vehicle, the vehicle commander doubles as the section leader, while in the Ratel-90 fire support version, the commander doubles as the gun loader.
In 1970, the South African Defence Force (SADF) issued a requirement for a new infantry combat vehicle (ICV) intended to provide its infantry battalions with mechanised capabilities. The resultant product was the Ratel that, contrary to some views, was a totally new requirement and not a replacement for the Alvis Saracen. In fact, the Saracens were retained in their original roles for some years after Ratel entered service and even underwent an upgrade (Project Fellies) before they were eventually retired.
The Ratel was engineered largely from a prototype furbished by a local subsidiary of Büssing, built on a modified 6x6 MAN military truck chassis. A number of other foreign designs, including the Panhard M3, EE-11 Urutu, Berliet VXB-170, and Thyssen Henschel UR-416, were also evaluated for the programme. Development commenced in 1971, with General Magnus Malan reporting to the South African parliament three years later that the Ratel had been "successfully industrialised". Three more prototypes were developed and trialled by the SADF between 1971 and 1975, with a production contract for the vehicle being subsequently awarded to Sandock-Austral.
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Wikipedia