Buffel
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| Buffel | |
|---|---|
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 6.14 t |
| Length | 5.1 m (16.73 ft) |
| Width | 2.05 m (6.73 ft) |
| Height | 2.95 m (9.68 ft) |
| Crew | 1+10 |
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| Primary armament |
Optional 7.62 mm MG |
| Engine | Atlantis Diesel Engine |
| Suspension | 4×4 wheeled |
| Operational range |
1000 km (620 mi) |
| Speed | Road 96 km/h (60 mph) Off-road 30 km/h (19 mph) |
- Buffel redirects here. See Thomas Buffel for the Belgian footballer.
The Buffel is a mine-protected APC used by the South African Army during the Angolan conflict. It was certainly not the most comfortable vehicle, but it offered the necessary protection against mine attack. The Buffel was also used as an armoured fighting vehicle and proved itself in this role. It has been replaced by the Mamba in South Africa, but remains in use elsewhere, notably Sri Lanka.
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[edit] Production history
The Buffel was introduced in 1978 after it was found that the South African Army had the need for a basic mine protected vehicle. More than 1400 were delivered before production stopped. A few of these vehicles found their way into other armies.
The Buffel was not a wholly South African built vehicle, but made use of the chassis, engine and some other components of the Mercedes-Benz Unimog, which were married to the armoured driver's cab and separate armoured troop compartment. The driver's cab was situated on the left with the engine compartment on the right. Later models replaced the original Mercedes engine with copies built by Atlantis Diesel Engines factory near Cape Town.
Land mine protection was provided by the V-shaped hull underneath these compartments, which quite effectively deflected the blast. The troop compartment contained two plastic tanks in the vee beneath the floor, a 200 litre diesel tank and a 100 litre water tank. The water tank provided drinking water to the occupants by means of a tap at the rear of the vehicle. It was a commonly held misconception amongst the troops that the weight of the water added to the blast protection.
[edit] Variants
- Buffel - original
- Buffel Mk 1 - Improved engine and bushguard/bumper
- Log Buffel - Logistic/Cargo version
- Moffel - Open cargo-bed version
- Unicorn - Sri Lankan produced version of the Buffel original.
- Unibuffel - Sri Lankan produced version of the Mk 1 with a Tata engine.
- Buffel Mk IIA/B - Rebuilds of earlier Mk 1s with an enclosed troop compartment, a rear exit door and large bullet proof windows on the sides and rear
- Bulldog - based on SAMIL 20 truck with the driver's cab on the right
- Rhino - A further development of the Bulldog but with the driver seated inside a fully enclosed troop compartment
