South African Olifant tank

The Olifant Mk1B Main Battle Tank (MBT) is named after the African Elephant in Afrikaans. It was the heaviest military vehicle in the South African Defence Force (SADF) and its successor the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The Olifant Mk1B is a rebuilt version of the Olifant Mk1A and was specifically adapted for the African battlespace, taking into consideration the lessons learned from the South African Border War (1966-1989).

The Olifant Tank was developed by the Olifant Manufacturing Company, which was based in South Africa and was a modified British Centurion tank. The development of the Olifant tank began in 1976, and production started in 1983. Despite being based on a Centurion tank hull, the Olifant is considered the best indigenous tank design on the African continent, thanks to its locally-produced gun, power pack, transmission, tracks, wheels, and fire control system. The Olifant 2 can be seen as almost a new tank.

In 1953, South Africa ordered 203 Centurion Mk 3 tanks from the United Kingdom, which were in service between 1955 and 1958. However, due to the arms embargo, the South African government was obliged to finance the creation of a new private sector enterprise, the Olifant Manufacturing Company (OMC), to refurbish the Centurions.

The Semel program in 1974 saw a total of 35 Centurion conversions, which were soon used operationally. Information from the Israeli Centurion conversion program, known as the Sho't program, greatly helped to start a more ambitious project. These refurbished tanks were named Olifant Mk1.

Design

The tank is fitted with a 105mm gun, fitted with a thermal sleeve for sustained accuracy. The tank carries 68 rounds of ammunition and is also fitted with two 7.62 mm machine guns, of which one is an anti-aircraft gun. The tank is also equipped with a laser range finder as well as night vision. The tank can also emit a smoke screen to hide in - nice. The tank also protects the crew against landmines by a double armoured floor.

Fitted with a GT-3 cannon, the Olifant should be as persuasive as most NATO counterparts, due to the GT-3 being a variant of the popular British-made Royal Ordnance L7 gun. On the weak side, the armour layout can be described as obsolete against HEAT and APFSDS, which are quite common at Olifant's rank. This lack of armour simultaneously with a somewhat slow turret traverse and below-average top speed, commits the Olifant to use distance, uneven grounds and marksmanship skills to endure the battles.

The tank has a 900 horsepower V12 air-cooled diesel engine, which powers the tank to a top speed of 58 km/h and a range of 350 km. The tank can wade through 1.5 m deep water and can go up a gradient of 60 degrees.

Variants

Olifant Mk1a

The Olifant Mk1a utilises the chassis and turret of the Centurion but has Continental turbocharged diesel and a new transmission fitted along with a variant of the British L7 rifled 105mm main gun. The fire control system has also been updated considerably and has passive night fighting equipment fitted along with a laser range finder. The engine has been modified into a power pack form to allow for quick removal and replacement of the engine.

Olifant Mk1B

In the early 1990s, the Olifant Mk1A was replaced by the Olifant Mk1B, which offered several upgrades such as improved armour protection, a more powerful engine, a double armoured floor for protection against mines, and a torsion bar suspension. Unlike the Mk1A which involved rebuilding existing Centurions, the Mk1B was a new production vehicle with minimal resemblance to the Centurion. The Mk1B was armed with one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun that had a 2000-round ready bin, replacing the 200-round boxes used in the Mk1A. It carried at least 6000 rounds of 7.62mm. The tank also featured tactical radio communication, enhancing command and control on the battlefield.

The fighting compartment was designed with increased safety in mind, with 65 main gun rounds stored in protected stowage bins below the turret ring. The turret bustle was extended to provide more space for crew equipment, and to help balance the overall turret weight distribution. This put less strain on the new solid-state electrical gun control system and turret drive, which could traverse the turret in a full circle in just 16 seconds, an improvement of 10 seconds over the Mk1A. Additionally, an infrared/white searchlight was added above the main gun.

The Mk1B retained the same armour as the Mk1A, which consisted of 118mm (4.64in) on the frontal glacis at 60 degrees, 152mm frontal turret (6in), 51mm (2in) on the sides, 40mm (1.57in) on top and 19mm (0.7in) in the rear.

The gap between the original Mk1A turret and the add-on turret package was left open to act as spaced armour against High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) rounds, which could be filled if needed in future. The modular add-on armour package could also be replaced in the field if it got damaged.

Olifant Mk2

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.

Externally, the Mk2 tank may look the same as the original Mk1B, but there are some significant upgrades under the hood. The new Continental 29-liter turbocharged V12 diesel engine packs quite a punch with 1040 horsepower. The only notable difference in appearance is the box-shaped commander's sight.

Other notable improvements include an upgraded Fire Control System (FCS) and a Computerized Battle System (CBS) that gives the Mk2 tank a fire-on-the-move capability, making it suitable for all-weather, day or night fighting. The Mk2 also has a highly desirable hunter-killer mode, which allows the commander and gunner to independently search for and locate enemy targets, increasing the likelihood of achieving first-hit probability and better target tracking and management. All these features make the Mk2 tank the most advanced and superior MBT in Southern Africa.