Olifant (tank)

The Olifant (Afrikaans: Elephant) is the primary main battle tank of South Africa. It was developed from the British Centurion tank since 1976. These tanks were heavily redesigned and rebuilt by South Africa since 1976 with some help of Israel. The Olifant is considered the best indigenous tank design on the African continent. Although based on a Centurion tank hull, it has a locally produced gun, power pack, transmission, tracks, wheels and fire control system and thus, at least the Olifant 2 can be seen as almost a new tank.

Olifant
Olifant Mk 2 Tank
TypeMain battle tank
Place of originUnited Kingdom/South Africa
Service history
In service1976–present
Wars
Production history
No. built224
Specifications
Mass57 long tons (58 t)[1]
LengthHull only 24 ft 9.5 in (7.557 m)[1]
With gun forward 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)[1]
Width11 ft 1 in (3.38 m) with side plates
10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) without side plates[1]
Height9 ft 7.75 in (2.94 m)[1]
Crew4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Armour51–152 mm (2.0–6.0 in)
Main
armament
Secondary
armament
Co-axial machine gun .30 cal
Engine

  • 650 hp (480 kW) at 2550rpm (Meteor)[1]
  • others up to 1,040 hp (780 kW) (Mk.2)
Transmission
  • [5-speed Merrit-Brown Z51R Mk. F gearbox (Mk1)
  • automatic gearbox (Mk1A, Mk1B, Mk.2)
SuspensionModified Horstmann
Maximum speed
  • 21.5 mph (34.6 km/h) (Mk1)[1]
  • 35 mph (56 km/h) (Mk1A, Mk1B, Mk2)

History

The British Centurion tanks were the South African main battle tanks since 1957, but they were sold or relegated to reserve roles as a result of maintenance problems compounded by parts shortages and a tendency to overheat in the hot African climate.[2]

Thus, the Operation Savannah in 1975 saw the lightly armoured South African forces in Angola threatened by large formations of Soviet tanks supplied to the People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) and their Cuban allies.[3] Operation Savannah led to the need of further tank trials under Project Semel. South Africa purchased a number of surplus Centurion hulls from Jordan and India,[4] but the United Nations Security Council Resolution 418, which imposed a mandatory arms embargo on the country, forced South Africa to purchase them without turrets or armament.[2]

The South African government was obliged by the arms embargo to finance the creation of a new private sector enterprise, the Olifant Manufacturing Company (OMC), to refurbish the Centurions. The Semel program in 1974 counted a total of 35 conversions, soon used operationally. Informations from the Sho't program, the Israeli Centurion conversion program, helped greatly to start a more ambitious project. These refurbished tanks were named Olifant Mk1.[3]

During Operation Askari South African forces clashed with FAPLA T-54/55 tanks in late 1983 and early 1984; however, due to the respective logistical commitment the Olifants were not deployed.[3] At length the South African mechanised infantry, bolstered by Eland and Ratel-90 armoured car squadrons, succeeded in destroying the Angolan tanks on their own.[5] But eventually, a single squadron of thirteen Olifant Mk1As was sent to the Angolan border, where they were attached to the 61 Mechanised Battalion Group. Following the Lusaka Accords, which effectively ensured a ceasefire between South Africa and Angola, the Olifants MK1 were placed into storage and the tank crews rotated out.[5]

Starting in 1983, OMC had upgraded further Centurions with a 29-litre Teledyne Continental turbocharged diesel engine and a new transmission adopted from the M60 Patton. The refurbished Centurions were armed with a South African variant of the 105 mm L7 rifled main gun. They were accepted into service with the South African Armoured Corps as the Olifant Mk1A in 1985.[4]

The launch of Operation Moduler, following the collapse of the Lusaka Accords in late 1987, led to the Olifant squadron being activated on the direct orders of President P.W. Botha.[3] On 9 November 1987 the Olifants destroyed two Angolan T-55s.[6] Throughout the operation, South African forces typically dispersed into an "arrowhead" formation, with Olifants in the lead, Ratel-90 armoured cars on the flanks, and the remainder of the mechanised infantry to the rear and centre.[7]

Three Olifants were abandoned in a minefield during Operation Packer from March to April 1988; one was retrieved by the Cubans and taken to the town of Cuito Cuanavale[8]: 338  and the other two remain to this day in the Angolan bush.[9] Another two were damaged beyond immediate repair by mines but successfully recovered.[10] A number of others suffered varying degrees of track and suspension damage due to mines or Angolan tank fire, but were able to keep moving after field repairs.[11] The operational failure by the SADF ended in a strategic stalemate.

In the early 1990s, the Olifant Mk1A was superseded by the Olifant Mk1B, which incorporated major improvements in armour protection, a slightly more powerful engine, a double armoured floor for protection against mines, and a torsion bar suspension. The Olifant Mk1B is a new production vehicle instead of being a rebuild of existing Centurions. It is barely recognisable as a Centurion.[12]

The Olifant Mk2 was adapted in 2005 when South Africa was no longer subject to international embargoes. Externally, the Mk2 looks identical to the Mk1B but features an upgraded Continental 29 Litre turbo-charged V12 diesel engine that produces 1040 hp. Improvements include an upgraded Fire Control System (FCS) and a Computerised Battle System (CBS) which includes a hunter-killer mode. A LIW 120 mm smoothbore gun can be used instead of the 105 mm L7 rifled gun. In 2018, a total number of 26 MK2 tanks was produced.[13]

Variants
VariantCommentImage
Olifant Mk1Main Battle Tank, Service: 1979, Engine: Rolls-Royce Meteor 4B 650 hp petrol V12 power pack, 5-speed Merrit-Brown Z51R Mk. F gearbox, Weaponry: Ordnance QF 20-pounder 84 mm, Survivalbility: fire extinguishersSANDF Olifant Mark one
Olifant Mk1AMain Battle Tank, Service: 1985, Engine: new 750 hp Continental AV1790 diesel V12 power pack, transmission and automatic gearbox, new coolant system, Weaponry: 105mm L7 cannon, improved fire control and storage layout for ammunition, Survivalbility: fire extinguishers, Mobility: new track wheels Mineclearing: Both Olifant Mk.1A and B can be fitted with plough-type, electrohydraulic dozer blade or a roller-type mechanical mineclearing set. The 3.5 m wide dozer blade weighs 1500 kgSANDF Olifant Mark one a
Olifant Mk1BMain Battle Tank, Service: 1991, Engine: uprated 950 hp Continental AV1790 V-12 air-cooled turbo diesel engine provides increased range, Weaponry: more powerful 105mm L7 cannon with thermal sleeve, laser rangefinder added, 7.62mm general purpose co-axial machine gun and a 7.62mm anti-aircraft machine gun fitted, first gen image intensifier, driver's station equipped with day/night sight, gunner's station fitted with day/night sights, Survivability: glacis plate and nose of the hull upgraded with passive armour, turret stand-off armour, double-armour floor, running gear protected against HEAT missiles by new sideskirts, fuel injection system smoke screen in engine's exhaust added, fire detection and suppression system improved, Mobility: torsion bar running gear, hydraulic dampers fitted to the first and last pair of wheels, maximum road speed of 58 km/h and maximum range on internal fuel of 350 km, can ford water to a depth of 1.5m, negotiate gradients and slopes of 60% and 30% and vertical obstacles up to 1m in heightSANDF Olifant Mark one b
Olifant Mk2Main Battle Tank, Service: 2007, Engine: uprated 1 040 hp Continental AV1790 diesel engine Weaponry: 105mm L7 cannon, periscopic stabilized day/ thermal gunner sight with laser rangefinder, upgraded ballistic computer added to the fire control system, panoramic commander sight, full solution fire control system, fire on the move and day and night time engagements, ready rounds located in carousel mounted turret basket, allowing fire rate of 10rpm Survivability: modular composite armour sloping on turret and hull front, in case of ammunition ignition, blow-off panels and armoured doors protect the crewSANDF Olifant Mark Two
Olifant Armour RecoveryArmoured recovery vehicle built on the chassis of an OlifantSANDF Olifant Tank Recovery
Shongololo TransporterMAN truck tank transporterSANDF Olifant Transporter

References
Citations
  1. User Handbook for Tk.,Med.Gun,Centurion,Mk3,5 and 6 (1965)
  2. "Trade Registers". SIPRI. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
  3. Harmse, Kyle; Dunstan, Simon (23 February 2017). South African Armour of the Border War 1975–89. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. pp. 4, 32–46. ISBN 978-1-4728-1743-3.
  4. Ogorkiewicz, Richard (2015). Tanks: 100 Years of Evolution. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. pp. 222–223. ISBN 978-1-4728-0670-3.
  5. Scholtz, Leopold (2012). "The Lessons of the Border War". Stellenbosch: Military Science Department, Stellenbosch University. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  6. Hamann, Hilton (2007) [2003]. Days of the Generals. Cape Town: Struik Publishers. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-86872-340-9.
  7. Holt, Clive (2008) [2005]. At Thy Call We Did Not Falter. Cape Town: Zebra Press. pp. 68–69. ISBN 978-1-77007-117-9.
  8. George, Edward (2005). The Cuban intervention in Angola : 1965-1991 : from Che Guevara to Cuito Cuanavale (1. publ. ed.). London [u.a.]: Frank Cass. ISBN 0415350158.
  9. "Prince Harry visits HALO programme in Angola". The HALO Trust. 2013. p. 338. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  10. Shubin, Gennadiĭ Vladimirovich; Tokarev, Andreĭ Aleksandrovich (2011) [2007]. Bush War: The Road to Cuito Cuanavale – Soviet Soldiers' Accounts of the Angolan War. Auckland Park: Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-909982-39-0.
  11. Polack, Peter (2013). The Last Hot Battle of the Cold War: South Africa vs. Cuba in the Angolan Civil War (illustrated ed.). Oxford, UK: Casemate Publishers. p. 149. ISBN 978-1-61200-195-1.
  12. Venter, Devald (2018). "Olifant Main Battle Tank". Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  13. Pike, John (2018). "Olifant Main Battle Tank". Retrieved 2023-04-01.
Bibliography
  • Dunstan, Simon (1980). Centurion (Modern Combat Vehicles: 2). Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-0711010635.
  • Dunstan, Simon (2003). Centurion Universal Tank 1943–2003. New Vanguard 68). illustrated by Badrocke M. and Sarson P. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-387-3.
  • Harmse, Kyle; Dunstan, Simon (2017). South African Armour of the Border War 1975–89. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-1743-3.
  • Miller, David (2001). The Illustrated Directory of Tanks of the World. Salamander Books Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7603-0892-9.
  • Munro, Bill (2005). The Centurion Tank. Crowood Press. ISBN 978-1-86126-701-6.
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