NEWTOWN, Conn. - The South African Army has deferred the acquisition of trucks and armored vehicles to replace under Projects Vistula and Sepula as it explores domestic refurbishment and production.
According to Chief of the South African Army, Lieutenant General Vusimuzi Masondo, who said the reason for the deferment is that the Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) wanted to commission an investigation by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to look at the possibility of using existing intellectual property to renew the fleets.
Project Vistula will provide 579 9-ton 6x6 and 733 14-ton 8x8 tactical logistics vehicles (and potentially 5-ton 4x4 trucks) for multipurpose roles. The program was also sidelined in 2007, because none of the proposed vehicles fully met specifications. However, the delay was likely in part due to the lack of funding available from the SA Army.
Project Sepula will replace the Casspir and Mamba 4x4 armored personnel carriers (APCs). As many as 1,900 vehicles could be procured under this requirement, and a full-fledged family of vehicles is planned, including 4x4, 6x6, and 8x8 variants. The new family of vehicles would be built in South Africa (but not necessarily a South African design) and would have a significant off-the-shelf content of such major components as the engine and transmission.
You have 0 item(s) in your cart