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The Ratel is a South African infantry fighting vehicle. It was the first wheeled infantry fighting vehicle to enter service worldwide[10] and was built on a modified MAN truck chassis.[1] The Ratel was designed in response to a South African Army specification for a light armoured vehicle suited to the demands of rapid offensives combining maximum firepower and strategic mobility.[1] Unlike most contemporary IFVs, Ratels were not intended to fight in concert with tanks in a major conventional war, but provide strategic mobility to mechanised infantry units accustomed to operating independently across the vast distances of Southern Africa.[1] The Ratel was a simple, economical design which helped reduce the significant logistical commitment necessary to keep heavier combat vehicles operational in undeveloped regions.[1] It was generally regarded as an influential concept[3] which incorporated a number of novel features, such as a mine-protected hull, an extended operating range of 1,000 kilometres,
Turret armed with 90mm Denel GT-2 cannon is identical to that of the Eland 90. Primary role: fire support for the Mechanized Battalions
Designed for hunting T55 t62 tanks.
| Service history | |
|---|---|
| Production history | |
| Specifications | |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Wars | South African Border War Western Sahara War Operation Boleas African Union Mission to Somalia Boko Haram insurgency Central African Republic Civil War (2012–2014) Libyan Civil War (2014–present) Yemeni Civil War (2015–present) |
| Designer | Springfield Büssing[1] |
| Designed | March 1972[2] |
| Manufacturer | Sandock Austral[3] Ruemech OMC[4]:380–381 |
| Produced | 1976[3] – 1987[5] |
| No. built | 1,381[6] |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Mass | 18.5 tonnes (20.4 short tons; 18.2 long tons) (Ratel-20/Ratel-60)[7] 19 tonnes (21 short tons; 19 long tons) (Ratel-90)[8]:48–54 |
| Length | 7.21 m (23 ft 8 in) (hull)[4] |
| Width | 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)[4] |
| Height | 2.39 m (7 ft 10 in) (Ratel-20)[8] 3.11 m (10 ft 2 in) (Ratel-60)[8] 2.91 m (9 ft 7 in) (Ratel-90)[8] |
| Crew | 3 (commander, gunner, driver) + maximum 9 passengers[8] |
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