Casspir
|
|
|
Missing image | |
| Casspir Mk3 | |
| Country Of Origin: | South Africa |
| Designation: | Armoured Personnel Carrier |
| Configuration: | 4 x 4 |
| Manufacturer: | Vickers OMC |
| Length: | 6,9m |
| Width: | 2,45m |
| Height: | 2,85m |
| Weight: | 10,88t |
| Ground Clearance: | 410mm |
| Trench: | 1,06m |
| Speed: | 98km/h (road) km/h 70(off-road) |
| Range: | 770km |
| Primary armament: | various: 3 x 7,76 mm MG or 20mm cannon |
| Secondary armament: | 12 firing ports |
| Power plant: | 124kW turbo-charged diesel OM352A by Mercedes Benz |
| Crew: | 14 |
The Casspir, a combat proven landmine protected personnel carrier, has been in use in South Africa for over 20 years. It is a four wheeled armoured vehicle, used for transport of troops. It can hold a crew of two, plus 12 additional soldiers and associated gear. The Casspir is unique in design, providing for passive mine defense. The main body of the vehicle is raised above the ground, so that if a mine is detonated, the explosion is less likely to damage the crew compartment and kill the occupants. The vehicle is also armored for added mine safety, as well as protection from small arms fire. Casspir's mine protection and field reparability are legendary and it is currently the only general purpose MPV in service with a triple mine protection level that includes main components. These factors, inter alia, lead to Casspir being the MPV of choice for several forces and for organizations employed in humanitarian operations (including mine clearing) in mine-infested areas.
The Casspir was ubiquitous during the days of apartheid in South Africa. It was seen widely in the townships for crowd and riot control.
| Contents |
Production History
Some 2,500 Casspir series APC's were originally built by TFM of South Africa according to a design by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which was subsequently taken over by Reumech OMC. Reumech in turn was taken over by Vickers Defence Systems of the UK and renamed Vickers OMC. When Alvis purchased Vickers Defence Systems, Vickers OMC became Alvis OMC, and has retained this name to the present day.
In 1998, two Casspir mine-protected vehicles (MPVs) underwent extensive mobility and ballistic evaluation in India over two months, covering over 9000 km. As part of this evaluation, one of the vehicles was put through four blast tests, involving one anti-tank mine and three improvised devices of the type typically encountered during operations in Jammu & Kashmir. The Casspir MPV was then repaired and driven back to the evaluation centre. In August 1998, India purchased 90 'reconditioned' Casspirs for the Army and Para-Military forces in Jammu & Kashmir. In April 1999, the Army acquired a further 90 Casspir MPVs and an additional 75 were delivered in 2001.
Variants
Each variant comes in different versions
- APC - (armoured personnel carrier)
- FISTV - Fire Support Team vehicle
- Utility vehicle - a wide range of weapons can be mounted on platform
- Recovery vehicle - 15 ton capacity
- Riot Control vehicle
- Water Tanker - 5000 litres
- Casspir MK 2C (I)
- Casspir MK 3 - 170hp ADE-352T 6 cylinder turbo-diesel
Operators
Casspir1.jpg
- Djibouti - 9 (refurbished SANDF units)
- India - 255 (refurbished SANDF units)
- Namibia
- Peru
- South Africa
- United States (called the Buffalo)
Combat History
- Angola
- Namibia
- Mozambique
- Croatia - de-mining
- Afghanistan - Bagram Air Base - de-mining 2003
- Iraq