Rooikat

Rooikat
South African Rooikat armoured fighting vehicle
TypeArmoured fighting vehicle
Place of originSouth Africa
Service history
In service1987–present
WarsOperation Boleas[1]
Production history
Designed1982
Produced1987–2020
Specifications
Mass28 t (28 long tons; 31 short tons)
Length7.1 m (23 ft 4 in)
8.2 m (26 ft 11 in) with gun forward
Width2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)
Height2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) turret roof
Crew4

Main
armament
1 x Denel GT4 76mm 62-calibre rifled gun, firing an APFSDS round
Muzzle velocity: > 1600m/s.[2][3]
Secondary
armament
2 x MG4 7.62 mm machine guns; 8 x 81 mm smoke grenade dischargers[3]
Engine10-cylinder water-cooled diesel
414 kW (555 hp)
Power/weight14.89 kW (19.97 hp)/t
Suspension8×8 wheeled, Fully independent active trailing arm
Operational
range
1000 km (621 mi)
Maximum speed Road: 120 km/h (75 mph)
Off-road: 60 km/h (37 mph)

The Rooikat (Afrikaans for "Caracal"; lit.'Red cat') is a South African armoured reconnaissance vehicle equipped with a stabilised 76 mm (3.0 in) high velocity gun for organic anti-tank and fire support purposes. The Rooikat's main armament was built with the Oto Melara 76 naval gun as its basis, to which it is nearly identical in terms of technical performance and statistics.[4] The Rooikat can also fire the same ammunition as the naval gun, albeit modified with new percussion primers in the shells.[4]

  1. ^ "Customs, Traditions, History, and Insignia of the South African Armoured Corps" (PDF). Bloemfontein: South African Armour Association. 18 October 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Rooikat". South African Army. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Rooikat armoured car". DefenceWeb. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
  4. ^ a b Jane's Armour and Artillery, 2001–2002, Volume 23, pp. 244-345.