The Valkiri and its predecessor, the Bateleur, were designed according to the South Africans'
combat experience in Southwest Africa and Angola.
So, in many ways, they are unique multiple-launch rocket systems, shortly MLRS.
Today, we are investigating the Vakiri and Bateleur, the South African response to the
BM-21 Grad.
The Valkiri and Bateleur are among the legendary weapon systems of South Africa.
Although they fire the same 127mm rockets, these MLRSs are the children of entirely different
tactical thoughts.
The Valkiri was one of the most trusted weapon systems of the South African Defence Force,
SADF for short, in the war in Angola and South West Africa.
The Bateleur is now an indispensable element of the South African National Defence Force,
shortly SANDF.
Before we move on, we would like to thank Dr Dewald Venter, who allowed us to use the
information from his book, "South African Armoured Fighting Vehicles: A History of Innovation
and Excellence, 1960-2020", and his article on the "Tank Encyclopedia" website.
Many sources claim that the South African MLRS programme started after 1975 Operation
Savannah in Angola, where they faced the soviet-made-BM-21 Grad.
However, Lieutenant Colonel Clive Wilsworth states South Africa had already begun to work
on this type of weapon under Project Furrow in 1974 in his book, "First in, Last Out / The
South African Artillery in Action".
The SADF had realized the importance of a weapon system that would conduct saturation
attacks on soft targets and counter-battery strike missions long since.
But most likely, Operation Savannah accelerated the programme.
It was natural to prefer an indigenous artillery rocket development project for this country
which had dealt with a strict arms embargo due to apartheid policy since the 1960s.
Also, there was no available MLRS system in the West in those years, except the German
Leichtes Artillerieraketensystem, which was less capable than the BM-21.
Armscor began the development of the new system, called Valkiri, in 1977.
Rather than copying the 122mm rockets of the Grad, South Africa preferred a 127mm one,
which was the same calibre as the Kentron V3 air-to-air missile.
It made the work easy due to the requirement of relatively minor modifications.
The carrier platform of the Valkiri was the UNIMOG 4x4 truck, produced under licence in
South Africa.
In 1981, the SADF took delivery of the first Valkiri and used it during Operation Protea
in the same year.
But, the first battery of the MLRS, also known as Visarend FV1 or Valkiri-22 Mk I, became
operational in 1982.
The launchers of the Valkiri, placed inside the truck bed, were being covered by a canvas
in disguise when they were not in action.
So, the Angolan and Cuban aerial reconnaissance sorties were not abling to discriminate the
MLRS from other logistic support trucks.
It was a simple but highly efficient trick.
This design was a practical solution in making it difficult to determine whether the SADF
was preparing for a new offensive or just routinely delivering supplies and ammunition
to the area.
The Valkiri could begin to fire within 5 minutes after stopping.
During the fire, a pair of hydraulic supports mounted at the rear stabilized the vehicle.
A conventional artillery sight was mounted on the left side of the 22-tube launcher.
It was stored in a container on the vehicle when not in use.
The elevation and traverse mechanism was hydraulic.
Its elevation angle was between 0 and 50 degrees, while the traverse angle was 110 degrees.
There was a test circuit in the Valkiri to check the rocket status and circuitry before
firing.
The crew could conduct firing from the cab or via a 50-metre plug-in cable connected
to a remote control unit.
The MLRS could launch the rockets, either singly or in ripples of 2 to 24.
Its rate of fire was one rocket per second.
After completing its salvo, the Valkiri could leave its position within 2 minutes, which
increased the avoidance chance of counter-battery fire.
The reload took 10 minutes.
As you may notice, we used the past tense.
Even though this MLRS is still in inventory of the SANDF, all of them are stored.
Considering the economic difficulties that South Africa has experienced for some time,
we can predict that the Valkiris have not undergone proper checks for a long time and
that they must undergo extensive refurbishment to be active again.
According to Jane's Armour and Artillery, the Valkiri has a two-person crew.
The MLRS has a length of 5.35 metres, a width of 2.3 metres, and a height of 2.32 metres.
Its weight is 6,400 kilograms.
The 99-horsepower diesel engine provides a road speed of 90 kilometres per hour.
Its range is 400 kilometres.
The Valkiri can negotiate 0.35-metre vertical steps and be ford to a depth of 0.6 metres.
Even before the Valkiri entered service, the SADF had already embraced mobile tactics.
It was now avoiding frontal attacks on well-prepared defended positions and conducting surprise
flanking attacks by confusing the enemy with continuous manoeuvring.
Also, the SADF was executing long-range raids against SWAPO camps.
Also, the Valkiri, with no ballistic and mine protection, also had low endurance and poor
off-road mobility for the job.
So, South Africa began to work on a new MLRS, initially called Valkiri Mk II, in 1985.
Even though its prototype was ready in one year, this mobile artillery rocket system
could not reach the serial production stage until 1989.
But the following year, the South African Bush War ended.
The new MLRS, now called Bateleur FV2 or just Bateleur, has a very different design from
its predecessor.
First of all, its carrier platform is the Kwêvoël 100, which is a SAMIL 100 6x6 truck
with a V-shaped armoured cab.
The other variants of the Kwêvoël 100, such as the Withings field recovery vehicle, Waterbok
field repair and maintenance vehicle and Zumlac self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, are also
in the use of the SANDF.
Besides, unarmoured SAMIL 100 trucks are the backbone of the army's truck fleet.
So, this preference reduces the logistic burden.
The armoured cab is resistant to small arms, artillery splinters, and three TM-57 landmines,
which contain explosives equivalent to 21 kilograms of TNT.
Comparing the SAMIL 100, the Kwêvoël 100 has a strengthened chassis and suspension.
Thanks to improvements in the diesel engine and transmission, it has 45 per cent better
traction and 90 per cent better gradient ability than a standard truck version.
Despite its greater mass than the Valkiri, the Bateleur has better mobility thanks to
its 6-wheel drive and more powerful engine.
The MLRS can go twice the range of its predecessor.
Secondly, the Bateleur has a 40-tube launcher rather than a 22-tube one, which provides
more firepower.
Unlike the Valkiri, it has no canvas disguise feature.
The MLRS is fitted with a sophisticated electronic navigation system, north-seeking equipment,
a fire control system, and computer-controlled semi-automatic laying equipment.
They improve accuracy.
In 2007, the SANDF decided to equip the Bateleur with a new laying and navigation system, which
would incorporate the latest computing systems and inertial navigation mechanisms.
The G5s and G6s will also have this system.
The Bateleur can begin to fire within 1 minute after stopping.
Two hydraulically operated stabiliser jacks are lowered at the rear during the fire.
The electro-hydraulically operated launcher is controlled via a joystick.
There is a manual backup elevation/traverse system on the vehicle.
Its elevation angle is between 0 to 50 degrees, and it can traverse 90 degrees left and 19
degrees right, depending on the elevation.
The crew can conduct firing from the armoured cab or via an optional remote hand-held firing
console.
The Bateleur can fire one rocket every 0.5 seconds.
So, the MLRS can complete its full salvo in 20 seconds.
After completing its salvo, the Bateleur can leave its position within 2 minutes.
Reload takes 7 to 10 minutes.
A Kwêvoël 100 ammunition truck carrying 96 rockets accompanies each Bateleur.
The launcher on a damaged or malfunctioned vehicle can be dismantled and refitted on
another firing unit in about 4 hours.
The Bateleur can carry rations, stores and water required for a 14-day operational cycle.
It has a 200-litre water tank underneath the crew compartment.
The Bateleur has an off-road range of 500 kilometres and a speed of 30 kilometres per
hour.
The MLRS also has bush braking capability.
It can be fitted with a 7.62mm machine gun on the cab.
There is a firing port on each door.
According to Jane's Armour and Artillery, the Bateleur has a five-person crew.
The MLRS has a length of 9.3 metres, a width of 2.35 metres, and a height of 3.4 metres.
Its weight is 21,500 kilograms.
The 315-horsepower Deutz Type FIOL 413 V10 diesel engine provides a road speed of 93
kilometres per hour.
Its range is 800 kilometres.
The Bateleur can negotiate 0.5-metre vertical steps and 0.5-metre trenches and can be ford
to a depth of 1.2 metres.
Some sources mention the Valkiri-5, also known as Valkiri MkI 5, a variant with a shortened
and lighter trailer-mounted for airborne use.
Since we could not find any visuals, we think this project has remained a study.
The 127mm standard rocket of the Valkiri and Bateleur has a maximum range of 22 kilometres
depending on whether the spoiler rings are used.
Each of its high-explosive warheads contains 8,500 steel balls, which are effective against
soft and semi-hard targets.
A single rocket can create a kill zone of ​​1,500 square meters.
The long-range 127mm rocket can go a distance of 37 kilometres.
But, it is understood that it never reaches the serial production stage.
Some sources claim that Somchem, today Rheinmetall Denel Munition, stopped producing the 127mm
rockets due to small production volumes and increased costs.
They also assert that now the SANDF is modifying its Bateleurs to fire Spanish-made 122mm rockets.
But, the Teruel MLRS fires 140mm rockets, and there is no known production line for
122mm ones in Spain.
So we assume that this information is probably false.
During the South African Bush War, the Valkiri's 127mm rockets with a 22 kilometres range had
the advantage over the Grad's 122mm ones with a 20.4 kilometres range.
Due to its effectiveness, the SADF-backed UNITA nicknamed the MLRS "Chindungu", meaning
the red pepper that bites.
In 1985, a single battery of the Valkiri managed to destroy an entire FAPLA battalion while
they were crossing a river.
Yet, two years later, a small South African detachment using G5s and Valkiris and could
not prevent the Angolan brigades from crossing the Lomba River while supporting the UNITA
forces.
Still, with its devastating effect, the MLRS was a respectful adversary for the Angolans
and Cubans.
They played an essential role in Operation Alpha Centauri and Operation Moduler during
the late 1980s.
On the other hand, the Bateleur could not find a chance to prove itself in combat.
Today, the South African 127mm artillery rockets and the MLRSs, which fire them, are struggling
for their survival against the economic situation in the country.
The Valkiri, once a war hero, is now forgotten in some storage facilities.
The Bateleur still stands but faces the uncertainty of the future.
Nevertheless, they have an undying place in the hearts of military enthusiasts as true
legends.
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