Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

AFTER spending almost R1bn on designing, building and testing the next-generation prototype of an infantry combat vehicle for the army, Denel Land Systems says it is ready to start production of some of the key components.

This could see the R8,3bn Project Hoefyster, that Denel is contracted to deliver, moving on at least a year ahead of schedule to balance the costs of the complex design phase with manufacturing.

The Hoefyster programme aims at designing and building an eight-wheel-drive vehicle in the 25-ton class. It is to carry between four and 12 men, and be equipped with various turret and on-board options to provide infantry with motorised transport and protection. The “8x8” configuration will give the 264 vehicles built optimal mobility over the roughest terrain, ensuring the infantry can enter and withdraw from conflict areas with minimum exposure and maximum survivability.

Based on an advanced mine-protected modular vehicle from Finnish manufacturer Patria, the vehicle will replace the Ratel high-mobility combat vehicle, which is now more than 30 years old.

Denel Land Systems CEO Stephan Burger says the challenge was to ensure that the vehicle was mine- and ballistic-protected. It would have hi-tech weaponry, and communications linking it to the command centre of the defence force. All this was designed under stringent time-frames at a fixed price.

The vehicle has a quick-get-out door at the back — a technology now being sold internationally. The prototype vehicles are undergoing rigorous tests for versatility and durability by various stakeholders, particularly the army, Burger says.

“We have designed on time new subsystems with unique specifications and appropriate guns that have not existed before.

“Under normal circumstances experts would describe this move as a risk ... but we took up the challenge because of the unwavering confidence in the capability of the organisation,” he says.

Serving in at least three South African National Defence Force (SANDF) battalions, the vehicle will come in five types, with a 30mm cannon or a 60mm breech-loading mortar.

“These guns have been successfully fired,” says programmes and quality manager Reenen Teubes. “We are continuing to test and evaluate the vehicles’ mobility, including their ability to fire accurately at a distant target running or standing.

“There is also a need for troops to have the kind of weapons on board to protect the vehicle and themselves from unexpected attack.”

Teubes says Denel Land Systems will provide the SANDF with training simulators to save costs. Local companies have been subcontracted to supply these.

“The company has already built a huge capacity based on the achieved milestones, making us ready to develop some production lines with the greatest confidence of our contractor, the army,” he says.

Burger says Denel Land Systems battled some years ago to get foreign business and that the South African army had also not been buying. “The company was facing insolvency with the burden of a huge overdraft, and then the army awarded it Project Hoefyster, which has become the backbone for its survival.

“Not only is it benefiting Denel Land Systems as the primary supplier of defence equipment to the SANDF, but a number of auxiliary companies in the defence industry will remain afloat,” he says.

The army has left nothing to chance, he says. It has monitored the process from the start and built in checks and balances in the contract to ensure sustainable financing.

Burger says the defence industry is hoping for a steady flow of business over the next few years as the defence force renews old equipment and buys new inventions.