South African Armoured Vehicles Volume 1: A History of Innovation and Excellence (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781804519929)

During the Cold War, Africa became a prime location for proxy wars between the East and the West. Against the backdrop of a steep rise in liberation movements backed by Eastern Bloc communist countries such as Cuba and the Soviet Union, southern Africa saw one of the most intense wars ever fought on the continent.

Subjected to international sanctions due to its policies of racial segregation, known as Apartheid, South Africa was cut off from sources of major arms systems from 1977. Over the following years, the country became involved in the war in Angola, which gradually grew in ferocity and converted into a conventional war. With the available equipment being ill-suited to the local, hot, dry and dusty climate, and confronted with the omnipresent threat of land mines, the South Africans began researching and developing their own, often ground-breaking and innovative weapon systems.

The results were designs for some of the most robust armoured vehicles produced anywhere in the world for their time, and highly influential for further development in multiple fields ever since. Decades later, the lineage of some of the vehicles in question can still be seen on many battlefields around the world, especially those riddled by land mines and so-called improvised explosive devices.

This revised and updated edition South African Armoured Vehicles: A History Of Innovation And Excellence Volume 1, takes an in-depth look at the Eland, Buffel, Ratel, Casspir, G6 Rhino, Ystervark, Bateleur and Olifant Mk1A armoured vehicles. The development of each vehicle is rolled out in the form of a breakdown of their main features, layout and design, equipment, capabilities, variants and service experiences. Extensively illustrated with photographs and custom-drawn colour profiles, this volume provides an exclusive and indispensable source of reference.

Author: Dewald Venter
ISBN-10: 1804519928
ISBN-13: 9781804519929
Publisher: Helion & Company
Language: English
Published: 06/15/2026
Pages: 84
Format: Paperback