South African troops received at their disposal a new mine-action complex Casspir, which differs from previous versions in that it uses elements of the Russian "Ural".
The Casspir model itself has been successfully used by South Africans in numerous military conflicts for 30 years. So during the confrontation between Angola and Namibia, military vehicles were used by the 101st battalion of the country's Ministry of Defense. It was these armored vehicles that served as an excellent way to move the battalion soldiers through the numerous minefields in southwestern Africa.
Casspir was successfully used in the territory of South Africa at a time when the intervention of the paramilitary police forces was required to a greater extent.
The prototype of the current Casspir military vehicle is the Casspir Mk-II APC 4x4 patrol armored personnel carrier. This complex began to be produced at the TFM plant in South Africa in the early 80s. The machine was developed by the Sandoc Ostrel company and was intended for use in local conflicts that flared up every now and then on the territory of the country. In the cab of the car there could be 2 people, but in a protected body - 12 soldiers, ready to engage in battle with the rebels.
For 30 years, Casspir has been modernized several times. But it got to the point that the buyers of this military equipment realized the economic inexpediency of further development of the machine on the same principles as before. So in 2006, 167 Casspirs cars were modernized according to the Gijima project.
But recently, using the experience of the Indian company Mahindra & Mahindra, the South Africans decided to transfer their Casspir to the Ural platform. According to one of the representatives of the company manufacturer of military vehicles Johan Stein, the new Casspir Mk 6 cost almost 30% cheaper than all previous counterparts. And this despite the fact that the technical characteristics and functional base of the machine only improved and supplemented. The Casspir Mk 6 has a 6x6 wheeled version, which makes it even more maneuverable on the roads of South Africa. The weight of the car increased to 14 320 kg, but this did not affect the increased cross-country ability of the car and the protection of personnel. The new Casspir now accommodates 18 people with new, comfortable shockproof seats. If in previous versions of the vehicle the fighters were forced to experience all the difficulties of the terrain and other negative factors, then the new individual suspension places make it possible to neutralize any dynamic impacts.
Even blowing up a car on a 21-kilogram charge under the wheel and a 14-kilogram charge under the hull, as the designers assure, is not capable of harming either the car or the platoon of fighters inside it. If this is true, then the car can be safely called unique and worthy of attention from expert buyers.
By the way, applications for the purchase of military equipment of this kind are already coming to South Africa from a number of countries. Among them: Nepal, Djibouti, Indonesia, Mozambique. In India, the car appeared almost simultaneously with its appearance in South Africa.
