The Rooikat is one of the charming products of the South African defence industry, which
have produced many legendary weapon systems. Because it was developed based on real combat
experiences, the vehicle is among the tops in its class. Now, we are investigating the
Rooikat, the king of the savannah. Please don't forget to subscribe to our channel,
before we start and give us a thumbs up if you like our video. To be notified of our
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our channel. The Rooikat, which means caracal, is not a
tank-destroyer but an armoured reconnaissance vehicle with good anti-tank and fire support
capability. It was designed based on the unique geographical and operational requirements
of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is not the fruit of some theoretical study. The experiences
gained during the South African Border War paved the way for the creation of the Rooikat.
At the beginning of the war, the South African Defence Force, shortly SADF, had the Eland,
which is a license-production variant of the AML. The armour protection and firepower of
this vehicle were sufficient for the counter-insurgency operation in South West Africa, today Namibia.
But, when Angola became part of the conflict, the situation changed. First of all, the operation
area of the SADF expanded. However, the Elands had high fuel consumption.
They could not follow the Ratels in deep raids. Besides, the People's Armed Forces of Liberation
of Angola got many tanks from the USSR. Also, many heavily armed Cuban troops began to intervene
in the war after 1975. The Eland's 90mm gun was inadequate against
the new threat. To encounter the Soviet-build tanks, the SADF
began to deploy its Centurions in these raids. But, these tracked monsters could not follow
the high speed of the wheeled vehicles. Also, their fuel consumption was higher than the
Elands. The complex mechanical parts of the Centurion caused a logistical nightmare.
So, the SADF began to seek a new wheeled vehicle in the mid-1970s, which was the optimum solution.
Thanks to its low fuel consumption, it was suitable for long-range raids. The wheeled
vehicles were faster than the tracked ones. Its less complex mechanical parts were more
reliable and were also allowing easy maintenance and repair. The wheeled vehicles did not depend
on the railways and tank transporters. The dusty terrain of the savannah caused the frequent
breakdown of the tracks. The wheels were immune from this problem. Also, when a tracked vehicle
hit a landmine, it required a long time to return the mission. But, a wheeled vehicle
could be repaired in a considerably shorter time. Because of the big financial burden
of the war and imposed arms embargo, the works progressed slowly.
As an interim solution, it fitted 90mm guns onto some Ratels.
South Africa produced three 8x8 prototypes between 1976 and 1979. These vehicles were
built using the components of the Ratel, Eland and Saracen. They were armed with the 17 pdr
HV tank guns, which were dismantled from retired Comet tanks.
The SADF did not find any of these three prototypes suitable for its requirement. But, they provided
valuable feedback to advance the programme. In 1982, three more prototypes, called the
Bismarck, Cheetah Mk1, and Cheetah Mk2, were developed. Some sources claim that these vehicles
were designed with technical assistance from the West German Thyssen-Henschel.
Indeed, especially, the Cheetah Mk1 had very similar lines to the TH-400 of this company.
The 8x8 Bismarck was heavy, and it was equipped with the Denel's 105mm GT7 gun.
The other two vehicles had a 76mm gun. After the trials in 1984, the SADF chose the
Cheetah Mk2. In 1984 Operation Askari, the SADF encountered
large Angolan tank formations for the first time.
This event accelerated the programme relatively. But, it was not fast enough. In 1987, Sandock-Austral
delivered the production variant of the Cheetah Mk2, now called Rooikat, to the SADF for further
trials. In 1989, a single South African armoured squadron began receiving it. The Rooikat could
reach the serial production phase in 1990 when the South African Border War ended.
The first 28 vehicles were pre-production models. Later, in three lots, 216 Rooikats
were delivered. The vehicles of the first lot were designated as Mk1A, while the second
lot Mk1B and the third lot Mk1C. 72 Rooikats were produced for each lot. All production
lots had slight improvements. Between 2000 and 2006, South Africa upgraded
80 Rooikat to Mk1D standard, which has improved the vehicle's engine reliability. Today, only
these model vehicles are still in active service of the South African National Defence Force,
shortly, SANDF, while the previous variants have been stored or retired.
There are some non-serial variants of the Rooikat.
The variant with the 105mm GT7 gun was developed for the international market. Also, it has
more capable sight and fire control systems. The Medium Turret Technology Demonstrator
was developed to test the feasibility of a 105mm high-pressure and 120mm low-pressure
main gun mounted on a remote-controlled turret in conjunction with an autoloading system
and various other technologies. The Rooikat ZA-35 was a self-propelled anti-aircraft
gun variant with twin 35mm guns, surveillance and tracking radar and optics.
The self-propelled anti-aircraft missile variant of the vehicle had the South African High-Velocity
Missile, which later became the Umkhonto missile. The Rooikat 35/ZT-3 was fitted with a 35mm
gun, well as a triple ZT-3 anti-tank guided missile launcher.
South African Mechanology Design Bureau and Jordanian King Abdullah II Design and Development
Bureau jointly developed another anti-tank variant of the vehicle.
The four-person crew of the Rooikat consists of the commander, driver, gunner, and loader.
The vehicle is 8.2 metres long, 2.9 metres wide, and 2.5 metres high. Its combat weight
is 28,000 kilograms. The 563-horsepower diesel engine provides a maximum road speed of 120
kilometres per hour. The range of the Rooikat is 1,000 kilometres. The vehicle can negotiate
1-metre vertical steps, 2-metre trenches and can ford to a depth of 1.5 metres. The Rooikat
has a 76mm GT4 rifled gun and two 7.62mm MG4 machine guns.
At first glance, many may suppose that this 8x8 vehicle has a similar mission definition
with the Japanese Type 16 and the Italian Centauro.
But, the Rooikat was designed for the same job as the AMX-10 RC.
It is not a tank destroyer but an armoured reconnaissance vehicle with good anti-tank
and fire support capability. The main mission definition of the Rooikat
is to provide reconnaissance information and to protect the mechanized units' flanks.
The South African Border War occurred in a vast and flat area. There were no geographical
obstacles, which could secure the flanks of a mechanized column. So, a vehicle for detecting
and delaying a possible flank attack was crucial, until the main elements take a position.
Rooikat was also designed based on the manoeuvre-oriented anti-tank tactics, developed by the experiences
from the South African Border War. The SADF and its successor, SANDF, has trained the
Rooikat crew to engage tanks only from defilade or otherwise static defensive positions.
Besides, there was no significant urbanized area on the vast and flat battlefield of the
South African Border War. So, both sides could not rely on logistic centres in the cities
or towns. They had to rely on extended supply lines. So, the side, which could manage to
interrupt its enemy's supply lines, could also manage to halt the enemy's advance.
Even though it did not get a chance to prove itself in the South African Border War, with
its high speed and long range, the Rooikat was perfect for this job.
To reduce development and production costs, as well as logistic requirements, the Rooikat'
some parts, such as auxiliary turret sights, hydropneumatic shock absorbers and coil springs,
are inherited from the previous Eland. The 76mm GT4 rifled gun is a derivative of
the Oto Melara's 76mm naval gun. At first glance, many may say that a 76mm
gun is insufficient for modern combat needs. But, it perfectly meets the specific conditions
in the region. The South African engineers chose the GT4 for many valid reasons.
First of all, the 76mm armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot-tracer munition, fired from
the gun, is sufficient to penetrate the armours of the T-55s and T-62s from all directions
from a range of 2,000 metres. Thanks to its smaller size than the 105mm
ones, the Rooikat can carry more ammunition, which is more useful for long-range raids.
Also, the 76mm gun produces a lower recoil effect, which makes the Rooikat more stable
during the fire and increases the rate of fire.
The turret is stabilized, and the gun is accompanied by a digital fire control system and a laser
range finder. It can traverse a full 360 degrees in 9 seconds. The reaction time of the Rooikat
is 2 seconds. The GT4's rate of fire is six rounds per minute.
The vehicle can fire while on the move. Both the commander and gunner can independently
operate the gun. The 76mm high explosive-tracer munition has
a maximum range of 3,000 metres. Some sources claim that this round can reach a range of
12,000 metres. But, the depression/elevation angles of the main gun is between -10 to +20
degrees. The range of 12,000 metres can be achieved
by the naval variant of the 76mm gun, which has higher elevation angles.
The 7.62mm MG4 machine gun is a South African upgraded variant of the M1919.
In general, the current Mk1D models do not have the second air defence machine gun.
The ammunition is placed into the hull instead of the turret to increase survivability. The
frontal arc of all-welded steel armour is resistant against 23mm armour-piercing munition.
With the additional special protection plates under the belly, the Rooikat can be resistant
to the detonation of the TM46 anti-tank mine. The standard tyres of the vehicle survive
the attack from a 7.62mm small arms fire and the laceration effects of tree stumps or sharp
boulders. In case of emergency, the commander, gunner
and loader can escape through hatches located on either side of the hull in-between the
second and third wheel. This prevents the crew from being exposed to small arms fire
during the evacuation. The Rooikat has also an exhaust smoke generator
and smoke grenade dischargers. In general, the vehicle moves with 8x4 drive
on the road, and 8x8 drive on off-road. The Rooikat has a maximum road speed of 120
kilometres per hour. But, its safe cruising speed is 90 kilometres per hour.
The vehicle has a central tyre inflation system, which increases cross country mobility.
Even when both tyres on the same side are damaged, the vehicle still can continue moving.
Due to the dusty conditions in Southern Africa, the engine is fitted with a primary and secondary
dust filter. The Rooikat could reach the serial production
phase in 1990, so it never fought in the South African Bush War.
But, in 1998, the Southern African Development Community intervened Lesotho through the SANDF
to quell a coup. During the operation, the Rooikats of the 1 Special Service Battalion
participated in various security operations. The Rooikat has never found an opportunity
to prove itself in real combat. The effort towards the international market has been
fruitless until today. But despite these negative factors, most military enthusiasts have always
accepted this beautiful South African wild cat as a successful vehicle. This fact alone
makes the Rooikat a true legend. Let us know what you think in the comment section.
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