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I thought the Casspir was no longer in service ?



I saw this one today, carrying troops to the shooting range at Ysterplaat AFB.

Cheers

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Brent Best

I wasn't aware that it had been withdrawn from service? If so, why - and what are they using as its replacement?

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A plan is simply a basis for change.

http://www.army.mil.za/equipment/vehicles/casspir_Mk3.htm
I found this.

Biggles

Ya it is definitly still in service but I read somewhere that they are in the process of getting the MK3 upgrade and will then be retired somewhere around 2015. And thats not just a lone one you saw on monday I saw about ten of them transporting troops to Durban and I've seen a lot of them in Durban harbour painted white with AU on the side obviously being shipped to on of our peacekeeping missions.

What is the rectangular "box" on the roof - behind the MG mount?

Probably me making the incorrect assumptions, ...all I have seen recently have been the Mamba APC's.

I'll post some more shots of this Casspir later this afternoon.

Cheers

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Brent Best

There is a whole lot of them at Ysterplaat (10-15?), together with an assortment of support vehicles parked on dirt next to the Bowls Club. I think reinforcements for the World Cup.

and the SADF wanted nothing to do with the Casspir (Kalahari Ferrari) in its developement stage (hence the name Casspir which is an anogram of CSIR and SAP)

I saw a lot of "tank transporter & trailer" vehicles in front of the movements area, they probably brought the casspirs in on those?

Seems to be armoured panels protecting the gunner & possibly storage bins behind that. One can see the hatch open & in the upright position.





Cheers

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Brent Best

Judging from the last photo it looks like a storage box of some discription. There are clips at the rear of the box.

Rear protection is given to the gunner by the open hatch, which opens backwards and is postioned to the rear of the driver and co-driver, there is a step inside the vehicle that is stood on to look out this hatch. The side armour can fold down. Some Koevoet Casspirs had armoured glass sides for side protection of the hatch gunner.

On the original Casspirs the MG was postioned above the co-driver who operated it from inside, Koevoet then mounted MG's, HMG's and the odd Hispano 20mm from SAAF Vampires on the roof and operated them from the hatch.

Later models were then also given a Browning 1917 which was mounted in the front windscreen in front of the co-driver to compensate for the gun being removed from above his head, due to it clashing with the roof mounted weapons.

The Russian 7.62 X 39mm armour piecing rounds as fired by the AK-47, RPD, SKS etc go in one side and out the other side of a Casspir

I spent more hours than I would like to remember in a Casspir.

Great info ... thanks

Now that must have been a scary thought whilst deployed inside one of those

Thankfully the armour piercing ammo was not too widespread ? All the 7.62x39 ammo that I saw in 85-86, was ball with occasional green tips ie tracer. Were there any incidents of armour piercing being used against Koevoet ?

I see on the Bae Systems website:
I wonder how this optional protection is added ?

Cheers

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Brent Best

Probably bolt on steel armor

Biggles

The Casspirs that I saw with these bullet holes in, of through and through were ex-Koeveot Casspirs. All the hits were on the sides none of their fronts.

They were supplied to SAPolice Riot Unit 8 Pietermaritzburg in 1990/91 to which I was a member. They were still in their Koevoet Green with Calls signs and roof turret mounts still on.

I was in F Coy 32 Bn, & spent most of my time using the Mk I boot as transport, so mechanised ops are unknown to me. A year after I left though, my company commander, Capt Alfred Desmond McCallum, "Mac", was killed when the Ratel 90 he was in got bogged down in a "shona" near the Lomba river & was shot out at close range by a T-55. I'd really prefer to walk 300km's than to ride 50km's in a big noisy APC. Big respect for Koevoet, 101, 4 SAI, 61 & the other mech units that operated out there.

I've been scouring around for pics of Casspirs & came up with these showing some weird armament being carried. Seems like koevoet grabbed whatever they could lay their hands on ..


Image: Border War by Willem Steenkamp


Image: Border War by Willem Steenkamp


Image: osprey Men at Arms #242 - Modern African Wars 3 - South West Africa


Men at Arms 242 - Modern African Wars 3 - South West Africa

Cheers

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Brent Best

All these Casspirs are very early models the easy give away is the postion of the single spare tyre, only carried on the left side of the Car. The later models reffered to as Turbo Casspirs had two spare one on each side above and behind the rear wheels.

Other give aways are the metal mud guards later had converor belt, the postion of the driving lights.

In photo's 1 & 2 photo they have the FN-MAG GPMG (called LMG) gun turrets above the co-driver and they are wearing South West African Police (SWAPol)camoflauge uniform.

The other photos have American made WWII vintage Browning Model 1919 machine guns rechambered for NATO 7.62 x 51mm on the roof mountings. Called the MG4 in the SADF, they were also mounted on the Elands, Ratels etc.

The one also like it has a Russian 14.5mm next to a M1919.

Koevoet (Ops K) was officially issued with FN-MAG 7.62; M1919 7.62mm and M2 12.7mm Brownings, but they also took whatever they could get hold of on the Border.

Alot of the Cars had Russian machine guns in the back like the RPD and PKM to fire through the side gun ports