Olifant Mk 1B Main Battle Tank, South Africa

The Olifant Mk 1B main battle tank was developed and produced by the Olifant Manufacturing Company, OMC Engineering PTY Ltd, based in South Africa. Development of the Olifant started in 1976 and first entered service with the South African Armoured Corps in the late 1970s. OMC Engineering later became Reumech OMC, then Vickers OMC and, in September 2002 was renamed Alvis OMC, following the acquisition of Vickers Defence by Alvis plc. In September 2004, Alvis OMC became part of BAE Systems Land Systems.

The layout of the Olifant Mark 1 was very similar to that of the South African Semel tank which was based on an upgraded conversion of the British Centurion tanks. The Olifant has been continually upgraded. The Mark 1A entered full-scale production in 1983 and the first were in service by 1985. In the same year that the Mark 1A entered the production phase, development work was started on the Mark 1B, and these tanks were in production during the 1990s and are operational in the South African Armed Forces.

The South African Army has 172 Olifant Mk 1A/B main battle tanks in operation. The Olifant 1B entered service in 1991. The upgrades included the installation of a more powerful 105 mm L7 cannon, a hand held laser rangefinder and a first generation image intensifier. The range of the tank was increased by the installation of a diesel engine and additional fuel tanks.

In September 2003, BAE Systems Land Systems OMC was awarded a contract by Armscor (the South African Department of Defense procurement agency) to upgrade 13 Olifant Mk 1B tanks. The upgrade programme includes a new powerpack from Delkon which increases power by 15%, upgrade of gun and turret drives by Reutech Defence Logistics, new fire control system and target detection and engagement system with thermal imaging capability, both supplied by IST Dynamics. A follow-on contract for a further 13 tanks upgraded to Olifant Mk2 standard was awarded in September 2005. Deliveries are scheduled for 2006-07.

WEAPONS

The Mark 1B Olifant is armed with the 105mm L7 rifled cannon main gun. The gun on the Mark 1B is fitted with a thermal sleeve for sustained accuracy in firing. The Mark 1B carries 68 rounds of 105 mm ammunition.

The tank is also fitted with a 7.62 mm general purpose co-axial machine gun and a 7.62 mm anti-aircraft machine gun.

FIRE CONTROL

The driver's station is equipped with a day and night sight and the gunner's station is fitted with day and night sights and an integrated laser rangefinder.

SELF-PROTECTION

The glacis plate and nose of the hull have been upgraded with the addition of passive armour and the turret has been fitted with stand-off armour. The installation of a double armour floor gives the crew additional protection against mines. The running gear is protected against HEAT missiles by new sideskirts.

A smoke screen can be laid by a fuel injection system in the engine's exhaust. A fire detection and suppression system improves the level of survivability.

ENGINE

The V-12 air-cooled turbo diesel engine provides 900 horsepower. The tank has been equipped with torsion bar running gear and hydraulic dampers have been fitted to the first and last pair of wheels.

MOBILITY

The tank achieves a maximum road speed of 58 km/hour and the maximum range on internal fuel is 350 km. The tank can ford water to a depth of 1.5 metres, negotiate gradients and slopes of 60 and 30 per cent and vertical obstacles up to 1 metre in height.

OLIFANT 2

LIW, a division of Denel, has developed the Olifant 2 main battle tank turret, which can be fitted on an upgraded Olifant Mk1B chassis, providing the tank with hunter killer modes of operation, fire on the move and day and night time engagement. The turret can be armed with either LIW’s GT8 105 mm or an LIW 120 mm smoothbore gun and features periscopic stabilised day/thermal gunner’s sight with laser rangefinder, panoramic commander’s sight, full solution fire control system and modular armour package.

Spesifications Mk Olifant 1B main Batle Tank

Crew	4, commander, driver, gunner, loader
Dimensions
length hull	861 cm
length with gun forward	1020 cm
height to top of turret	355 cm
width of hull	342 cm
ground clearance	34.5 cm
Weight
combat weight	58,000 kg
ground pressure	1.07 kg per sq cm
Engine
air cooled turbo diesel engine	V-12
Power	900 hp
power to weight ratio	15.5 hp/ton
range of travel of road wheels	320 mm
Performance
road speed	58 km/hour
Range	350 km
vertical step	1.0 m
fording depth	1.5 m
Gradient	60 per cent
side slope	30 per cent