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The Eland is an air portable[10] light armoured car based on the Panhard AML.[9] Designed and built for long-range reconnaissance,[11] it mounts either a 60mm (2.4 in) breech-loading mortar or a Denel 90mm (3.5 in) gun on a very compact chassis.[9][12] Although lightly armoured, the vehicle's permanent 4X4 drive makes it faster over flat terrain than many tanks.[13]
Eland was developed for the South African Defence Force (SADF) in South Africa's first major arms programme since World War II, with prototypes completed in 1963.[14] By 1991, 1,600 examples had been built for home and export;[6] prominent foreign operators included Morocco and Zimbabwe.[2] Local overhauls incorporating lessons from internal operations have resulted in a vehicle capable of withstanding the unforgiving Southern African environment and highly mobile operational style of the SADF.[8]
