Tank Elephant (Olifant) - South African main battle tank: description, characteristics, manufacturer, photo

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

In the army of each state, namely in the ground forces, there is a certain amount of armored vehicles. Due to the fact that in the Republic of South Africa there were mainly guerrilla wars with the widespread use of mines, in this country to this day special wheeled armored vehicles MRAP are used, which are characterized by high mine protection. However, the intended purpose of such equipment is limited only to the transportation of personnel and military command in combat conditions or in the event of a high terrorist threat. To destroy a heavily fortified enemy object or a moving target, special military equipment is required. There is also a tank in the Republic of South Africa (South Africa). The armed forces of this country, according to military experts, have a combat unit, which is listed in the technical documentation as Olifant. Today it is in service with the National Defense Forces of the Republic of South Africa. Information about the history of creation, design and performance characteristics of the South African tank "Elephant" is contained in thisarticle.

Introduction to military equipment

Olifant (translated from English - "elephant") is a South African main battle tank. According to experts, it has become a modification of the British-made Centurion tank. The work was carried out by Lyttelton Engineering Works, which specializes in the production of artillery and small arms. This company became the main manufacturer of Olifant. The English model of the tank has been modernized several times. The result of such work was the tanks Mk.1A, Mk.1B and Mk.2, more on which below.

A bit of history

Since 1953, 200 British Centurion tanks have been in service with South Africa (a photo of the tank is shown below). After 9 years, 100 of them were bought by Switzerland.

The government of the republic was forced to take this step in order to receive funds for the purchase of Mirage fighter aircraft. The Swiss side of the available tanks "Centurion" independently chose a hundred. Thus, the tank fleet was reduced by half. The South African government planned to replenish it in the future. However, these plans were not destined to come true, since in 1964 the United Nations imposed very severe sanctions on the young republic, which also affected the supply of weapons to South Africa. This measure was due to the fact that racial segregation was practiced in the Republic of South Africa. Of course, under the pressure of sanctions, the country's armored forces could come to an end. However, even under such difficult conditionsSouth African military personnel were supplied with all the necessary spare parts for the repair of armored vehicles. Soon the military command was faced with another problem. The fact is that at that time the country's army had only Meteor Rolls-Royse engines. The disadvantage of this power unit was that in high temperature conditions it overheated very quickly. This installation needed to be replaced, which was almost impossible to do under the sanctions. However, the government of the Republic of South Africa found a way out of this situation - in 1964, the Arms Corporation ARMSCOR was created, which was charged with carrying out international purchases.

Begin designing

In 1976, as part of the program to modernize the British armored vehicles "Centurion", South African designers began work on the creation of the Olifant Mk.1A tank. As a result of modernization work in this armored vehicle, a number of changes were made. As a weapon, the Elefant tank was equipped with a 105 mm L7A1 cannon. Previously used 83 mm. In addition, the new gun was equipped with a laser rangefinder and a ballistic computer.

Also, the Elefant Mk.1A tank was equipped with 81-millimeter smoke grenade launchers, an illuminated night sight for the commander, and periscope observation devices. The driver and gunner could use them. The image that these devices displayed, according to experts, was the best, since they provided for electron-optical amplification. Consideringthe conditions in which it was planned to operate the tank, the developers had to upgrade the electronic equipment. For example, special tubes have become a place for backup antennas, the task of which is to prevent bending of antennas in dense vegetation. Each armored vehicle was equipped with an individual tank in which drinking water was transported. There was also a cooking stove and the necessary set of tools. Since the Angolan FAPLA had to deal mainly with armored personnel carriers, which were easily destroyed by anti-aircraft guns, they decided not to change the armor protection in the tank. Due to the fact that in conditions with dense vegetation, the side screens often clung to the bushes, the crew of the combat unit simply dismantled them.

About powertrains

Changes also affected the engine of the tank. Allegedly for agricultural needs, ARMSCOR acquired several American diesel engines from GM. However, as it turned out, these power units were only good in the cold European climate. At the same time, South Africa was in a hopeless situation and was forced to still buy these diesels. In addition, ARMSCOR purchased three more V12 engines manufactured by Continental. These installations completed the American tanks M-46 and M-47. After minor design improvements, the V12 was adapted to an English armored vehicle. According to the test results, it turned out that these engines had a very high fuel consumption, which had a negative impact on the power reserve - it was reduced by 40 km. Instead of the English engines "Meteor" for new tanks, it was decidedinstall American diesel power units AVDS-1750 with automatic hydromechanical transmission and 900 horsepower. The capacity of the tanks was increased to 1280 liters. Previously, this figure was much lower and amounted to only 458 liters. The increased volume of fuel tanks allowed the South African command to offload logistics. Since these combat vehicles must operate over a large area, much attention was paid to how maintainable the crew forces were. According to experts, the first wave of modernization affected over 220 Centurion tanks.

The second stage of modernization

In 1990, the Elefant Mk.1A tank began to be redesigned. The result of the design work was the Olifant Mk. B1 model. In the new version, it was decided to leave the old armament, namely the 105 mm L7A1 cannon. Nevertheless, the Elephant Mk. B1 tank differs from the previous model in that the main armament was supplemented with a heat-insulating fiberglass casing. The gunner had a periscope sight with a stabilized sight and a laser rangefinder. The tank turret for aiming the main gun at the target was deployed by means of electric drives. The fire control system was supplemented with a new ballistic computer. Instead of a double hatch for the loader, a single-leaf hatch was used, which could only open forward. Previously, the ammunition and property of the crew members of the Elefant Mk.1A tank were transported in a stern basket. In the new version, the developers for this purpose have provided a more voluminous special compartment. Histhe designers included a new compartment in the general contours of the tank turret, which the South African tankers used as a bath. The sides and roof of the tower were mounted with flat mounted modules. This measure was taken in order to increase the armor protection of the combat vehicle. According to experts, when installing additional armor, the developer took into account the balancing of the tower. As a result, if we compare the Elephant Mk. B1 tank with the British Centurion, then the South African tank is better balanced, so it will take less effort to make a turn.

About chassis

Since it was planned to use armored vehicles in rocky terrain, the developers paid much attention to the type of suspension. Tank "Elephant Mk. B1", according to military experts, with improved patency, especially at high speed. In this model, it was decided to use a torsion bar suspension for the road wheels. The undercarriage was covered with newly designed steel screens. To make them technically easier to maintain, the sheets, unlike the original screens in the Centurion, were made smaller. In addition, the sections were placed on special hinges, so that, if necessary, the sheets could be folded up. All suspension units were equipped with hydraulic shocks, and 1, 2, 5 and 6 with hydraulic shock absorbers.

What else was converted in the tank?

The changes also affected the management department. In order to make it more ergonomic, instead of the double hatch used by the driver, into the tank, the photo of whichposted in the article, installed a sliding monolithic sunroof. Instead of periscope instruments, the location of which used to be a double hatch, wide-angle periscopes were installed in the amount of three pieces. Three 7.62 mm Browning machine guns are used as auxiliary weapons in this version of armored vehicles. One of them is paired with the main gun and is located on the left, two are above the hatches of the crew commander and loader.

About transmission

The tank's engine is a more powerful V-12 diesel. The forced version has a power of 950 horsepower, the unforced version has 750 horsepower. Despite the fact that the mass of the tank was increased from 56 to 58 tons, its specific power was 16.2 liters. with. for 1 ton. In the previous version of the tank, namely the Elephant Mk.1A, this figure was 13.4 tons. Instead of an American-made transmission, the tank uses an automatic South African AMTRA III with four forward speeds and two reverse ones. As a result, the Elephant could move along the highway at a speed of no more than 58 km / h. Due to the fact that the "Elephant Mk. B1" was equipped with a new power unit, the length of the machine increased by 200 mm. To protect this army equipment from enemy mines, the developer provided the tank hull with a spaced armored bottom. Torsion bar suspension components are located between the sheet armor.

Model Mk.2

In 2003, the British company BAF Systems began work on a $27.3 million contract to upgrade the Olifant Mk.1B. British engineers were provided with 26 tanks. As they sayweapons specialists, over the past decade, this contract has become the largest for the South African concern. One of the South African branches of BAE Systems was appointed as the contractor. He, in turn, signed several contracts with South African companies, namely with IST Gynamics, Defense Reutech Logistik and Delkon for the manufacture of equipment and individual elements of military armored vehicles. The essence of the modernization was to equip the tank with a new turbo heater and intercooler for the GE AVDS-1790 diesel engine, whose power was 1040 hp. with. The power unit was developed by the South African company Delkon. In addition, the customer wished that the new tank was with an improved FCS (fire control system) and improved turret drives. This, in turn, would make it possible during the battle on the move to aim the gun and shoot at the target. Reunert engineers worked on these elements. Such a system provides for the presence of a ballistic computer and a stabilized commander's observation platform with a thermal imager and a sight available on it.

In total, 13 combat units were upgraded. These armored vehicles began to be delivered at the end of 2006. Modernization work was carried out using components and developments used in the TTD tank. According to experts, unlike previous models, this option has better protection. This is explained by the fact that active armor modules were used for the Mk.2. If during the battle they were damaged, the crew could quicklymake a replacement. This tank model has a wedge-shaped turret, like the German Leopard 2A6. There are four people in the crew, namely the commander, gunner, loader and driver. The armored vehicles are driven by an Israeli-made Continental diesel engine, capable of accelerating the tank to 1,040 horsepower. The Olifant Mk.2 decided to use the chassis from the previous model.

About weapons

This model uses a fully stabilized 105mm rifled gun as its main armament. The loading machine in the tank is not provided. Therefore, the crew has to load the gun manually. There is a special niche in the turret for storing ammunition, which is separated from the combat compartment by means of an armored partition. Initially, a 120 mm smoothbore gun was developed for the tank. However, the designers soon decided to use the 105 mm gun. As it turned out later, its power was quite enough to destroy the enemy tank. The combat kit is designed for 68 shots. Fire control is carried out through an upgraded system. It tracks a moving target automatically. This tank model was equipped with new devices, the task of which is to detect enemy targets. Due to the presence of a modern gun stabilization system and night observation devices, it is possible to destroy a moving object even in the dark. Additional armament is represented by two 7.62 mm machine guns. One of them is paired with the main 105 mm gun. Placethe second machine gun over the tank turret.

TTX

This combat transport unit has the following performance characteristics:

• The Elephant Mk.2 tank weighs 60 tons.
• The power of the power unit has been increased to 1,040 hp. s.
• Total length with gun forward is 983 cm, hulls 756 cm.
• Width - 342 cm.
• This tank has a clearance of 34.5 cm.
• A car is moving at a speed of 58 km/h on a flat surface.
• Road range 350 km, cross country 200 km.
• Armored vehicles with a specific power of 17.3 liters. with. per ton.
• "Elephant Mk.2" is able to overcome 98 cm walls, 3.5-meter ditches.

What military experts think about the tank

As experts say, "Elephant" is a clear example of how you can take advantage of the combat capabilities of already outdated armored vehicles. After evaluating the performance characteristics of this model, many experts agreed that the Elephant is not able to provide full resistance to most modern tanks. However, with the improvements made, it is in a better position than tanks that are not adapted for use in Africa. In 1987, South African armored vehicles in the confrontation with Soviet T-62 tanks showed themselves pretty well.

As experts are convinced, if we compare the "Elephant" with the T-62, then the armor protection and main guns inSouth African cars are somewhat better. In Soviet armored vehicles, the most vulnerable point was the frontal projection. A South African tank could be destroyed from a two-kilometer distance if a 115-millimeter Soviet cannon hit the side. Also, "Elephant" could be knocked out with a hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher, namely RPG-7. Thanks to the upgraded fire control system, a projectile hit a 500 x 500 mm target from a 2-kilometer distance. According to experts, such an indicator can only be considered ideal for open flat terrain, as in South Africa. If these tanks were used to fight in Angola, which is characterized by dense thickets, then such accuracy would be unsatisfactory, even from a 100-meter distance.

In conclusion

According to experts, the armed forces of the Republic of South Africa have all three versions of the Elefant tank. The armored fleet is represented by 172 units. Despite the fact that this technique is considered the main one and is used today, the South African military command plans to replace it in the near future. The Republic will purchase about 96 new units. In 2010, an exhibition of military equipment and weapons AAD 2010 was held in Cape Town. At it, Ukrainian-made Bulat tanks and German Leopard 2A4 tanks were offered to the command of the National Defense Forces. There is no specific information about what the converted British Centurion will be replaced with. Presumably, it will be a foreign-made tank. According to experts, most likely Challenger 2E or Leclerc Tropik.