The Buffel is one of the early examples of mine-protected vehicles, shortly MPV.
It saved the lives of many South African troops in South West Africa and Angola, and its success
has paved the way for embracing the concept internationally.
Now, we are investigating the Buffel, a weird-looking, uncomfortable, but beloved armoured vehicle.
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The Buffel is a highly successful but relatively little-known vehicle.
Thanks to its effectiveness, the MPV concept has been accepted globally.
Yet, due to these achievements, many open sources on the Internet tend to exaggerate
the Buffel.
It would be too overblown to say that it was the first-ever mass-produced or the first
truly effective MPV.
There were also many successful vehicles before it.
In the 1960s, South Africa carried out concept studies on the MPV, and it fitted a V-shaped
monocoque body with an angle of 43 degrees on a Second World War-vintage Swedish SKPF/VKPF
M/42 wheeled armoured vehicle.
But, these years, the landmine threat was not a priority, and the project was not resumed.
The rest of the story is a bit complicated.
There is a lot of different data available in many different sources.
We tried to confirm them as best we could.
Do not hesitate to share your information on this subject in the comment section.
The real adventure began with the Land Rover tactical vehicle-based Hyena and the UNIMOG
truck-based Wolf.
They were developed and produced by the South African in 1973 to use in Rhodesia.
The Rhodesian engineers developed their indigenous MPV, the Land Rover-based Moon Buggy, in the
same year.
Which was followed by the Leopard and Rhino.
In the same years, the South West Africa People’s Organization, which was fighting an insurgency
against South Africa for the independence of South West Africa, increased to use the
of landmines against the South African Defence Force, shortly SADF.
So, in 1973, South Africa developed the Bosvark, a UNIMOG S truck with a V-shaped rear tub.
Besides, it had mine detonation blast deflection plates under the driver compartment.
But, the vehicle could not protect the crew from small arms fire.
Besides, South Africa developed the Bedford RL-based Hippo in 1974.
All these not-so-successful Rhodesian and South African vehicles had limited capability.
The first truly effective MPV was the Land Rover Series 3S-based Rhodesian Kudu, which
entered the service in 1975.
Also known as Ojay, it would save 261 of 267 soldiers in 58 landmine attacks until 1980.
Rhodesia also began to use the Crocodile in 1977 and the MAP75 in 1978.
These highly successful vehicles did the same job as the Buffel.
So, it was not the first-ever mass-produced or the first truly effective MPV.
The development of the Buffel began in 1976 to replace the Hippo, which had an unpopular
layout and poor visibility.
Using feedback from the combat reports in Angola, South West Africa and Rhodesia, the
South African engineers began to design the improved version of the Bosvark in 1976.
They presented a wooden mock-up of the new MPV called Bosvark II to the SADF in April
of the same year.
After several trials, some improvements were implemented.
For example, unlike the UNIMOG S truck-based Bosvark, the Bosvark II was built on the more
advanced UNIMOG 416/162 truck.
The result was satisfactory.
In 1977, the SADF ordered the new MPV, now called Buffel.
The vehicle entered service in 1978.
The armoured driver compartment of the Buffel, separated from the armoured troop compartment,
was on the front left, while the engine compartment was on the right.
The engineers preferred commercially off-the-shelf parts as much as possible, which reduced the
logistical requirements and production costs of the MPV.
The design also allowed quick repair after a post-mine hit and easy maintenance in field
conditions.
As the Buffel was simply a modified truck, any truck driver and mechanics could drive
and maintain the vehicle with short training.
Also, a wheeled armoured vehicle had fewer maintenance requirements and costs than a
tracked one.
It was essential for the SADF.
The Buffel was designed to save lives, not provide comfort.
There was no door on the open-top troop compartment.
The soldiers had to climb up and down via two incremental pairs of steel steps on either
side to embark and disembark the MPV.
There were horizontally hinged folding panels on the left and right sides of the troop compartment
to ease leaving the vehicle during the action.
The early model of the Buffel did not have even a door for the driver.
So, he had to enter and leave the cab through the open-top roof.
The driver compartment of the later variants was fitted with a single door and two steel
steps on the left side, beside a high-density polyethene roof cover.
The Buffel was a tall vehicle with high ground clearance.
This design made it relatively unbalanced.
So, during the move, the troop compartment was severely shaken depending on the rough
terrain or high speed.
For this reason, the South African troops nicknamed the Buffel kots koets, which means
vomit carriage.
Besides, on some occasions, this design caused the vehicle roll over in sharp turns during
high speed.
It was risky to drive the Buffel on uneven or slippery terrain.
Still, the Buffel protected the crew from landmine hits excellently.
Its V-shaped hull deflected the blast quite effectively.
The MPV was resistant to the detonation of one TM-57 anti-tank mine with a 7-kilogram
TNT equivalent explosive under the hull or two TM-57s under any wheel.
The seats had a special design to protect the crew from the effects of a mine blast.
There were anti-roll bars over the troop compartment's top to compensate for a possible rolling over.
There is still an ongoing debate about the 100-litre water tank under the Buffel's hull.
Some sources claim that it provided extra protection against landmines, while others
say that this tank was for only water supply for the soldiers during the long patrols.
Indeed, it is known that the water does not absorb the blast effect.
On the other hand, increasing the weight might help counterbalance the anti-tank mine detonation
that causes a 6-ton vehicle, like the Buffel, to leap meters into the air.
During the South African Border War, the SADF sometimes filled the wheels of the MPV with
water to increase the weight.
But, it is known that this practice was to make the vehicle more stable.
The section leader generally sat on the front left of the troop compartment to better communicate
with the driver.
The Buffel was fitted with one forward-looking and one rear-looking machine gun.
They were single-barrel weapons in general use.
But, the Buffel was occasionally equipped with twin-barrel machines gun with armoured
shields.
Thanks to the circular grooves on both sides, the soldiers could use their rifles from their
seating.
The early variants of the Buffel had the Mercedes Benz OM352 diesel of the UNIMOG.
The later models were equipped with the licence production variant of this engine manufactured
by Atlantis Diesel Engines.
The MPV had satisfactory cross-country mobility for the African savannahs.
Designed for long-range patrol and transport missions, the Buffel had a range of 1,000
kilometres on the roads.
But, its off-road range was 500 kilometres.
The MPV had a sizable storage box on the rear.
The vehicle was constantly upgraded.
The Buffel Mk 1 had an improved engine and a bush guard to drive through small trees
and heavy brush rather than going around them.
The Mk 1B variant was fitted with disc brakes instead of drum brakes.
The logistic/cargo version of the MPV was the Log Buffel.
It had a truck bed which replaced the troop compartment.
The vehicle could carry 2.6 tons of cargo.
The Buffel Mk 2A, also known as Moffel, was the variant with an enclosed troop compartment.
Due to this change, it had a rear exit door and large bulletproof windows on the sides
and rear.
The Mk2A was the rebuilt variant of Mk1s for urban operations.
The Buffel also had a non-serial ambulance, mortar carrier, and self-propelled anti-aircraft
gun versions.
In the 1980s, South Africa began to produce the SAMIL 20, whose design was based on the
UNIMOG chassis.
Later, this truck was also converted to MPV with similar modifications applied to the
Buffel.
The new vehicle, called Bulldog, was preferred by only the South African Air Force for the
mission of patrolling around the bases.
Still, its 20mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun variant, the Ystervark, was operated by
the Army.
Sri Lanka, which acquired the Buffel, also developed the indigenous variants of the vehicle.
The Unicorn is the variant based on the TATA commercial truck with the same modifications
applied to the Buffel.
The Unibuffel is a Buffel version with the TATA engine.
In some military parades in Sri Lanka, some different models of the Unibuffel with the
30mm twin-barrel GCM-A or the 25mm Typhoon 25 gun turrets have been seen.
Also, there is one vehicle with Gabriel anti-ship missiles.
However, it is unclear whether these weapon systems were mounted on the Unibuffel for
naval weaponry demonstration or operational use.
Sri Lanka and Uganda are the current users of the Buffel.
Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe retired the vehicle.
Also, the United Nations is still operating the Buffel in some of its missions in Africa.
The Buffel has a one-person crew, which is the driver, but it can also carry ten infantry.
The vehicle has a length of 5.1 metres, a width of 2,05 metres, and a height of 3 metres.
Its combat weight is about 6.1 tons.
The 125-horsepower Atlas Diesel OM352 diesel engine provides a road speed of 96 kilometres
per hour.
Its range is 1,000 kilometres.
The Buffel can negotiate 0.6-metre vertical steps and ford to a depth of 1 metre.
It can be fitted with 5.56mm or 7.62mm machine guns.
During the South African Border War, also known as Angolan Bush War, the Buffel played
an essential role in both battles and counter-insurgency operations.
It transported the troops and supplies to the front line and evacuated the wounded.
During the long-range counter-insurgency operations, four to six Buffels carried a hunter-killer
platoon long distances from the bases.
The MPVs also brought enough food, water, and ammunition to the operation areas for
a week.
Then, the soldiers began to patrol on foot for three to seven days.
Since the South West Africa People’s Organisation laid landmines on the possible routes, the
Buffel were the best solution for such deployments.
The Buffel managed to save the lives of the South African troops countless times, even
though it hit the landmine on many occasions.
The vehicle and its Sri Lankan variants have also proved themself in the civil war in this
country.
Sri Lanka also deployed its Unibuffels into Mali in 2020.
The success of the Buffel played a significant role in the MPVs' acceptance globally, now
known as MRAP.
It has made South Africa the leading brand in the world in this field.
The Buffel, soldiers' guardian angels against mines, is undoubtedly a true legend.
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