Great expectations for Hoefyster ICV
Christopher F Foss
Show Daily sources indicate that Denel Land Systems (Stand 4620) will soon be awarded a contract for the South African Army’s new
Hoefyster infantry combat vehicle (ICV). This will be the replacement for the current Ratel ICV that has been in service for well over 25
years. It will be the largest armoured fighting vehicle programme carried out by South Africa and will extend for a period of about 10 years.
The contract, when awarded, is expected to cover the supply of five pre-production vehicles plus a total of 264 production machines. There are five variants with one of each being for trials and qualification. The five specialised versions are fire support, section, command, mortar and anti-tank guided missile (ATGM).
The fire support and section vehicles are fitted with a new Denel two-person turret armed with a 30mm cannon and 7.62mm co-axial machine gun. These are laid onto the target using a computerised day/night fire control system, with the commander being provided with a roof-mounted stabilised sight for hunter killer target engagements.
The only difference between the fire support and section vehicles is that the former carries more ammunition, with the section vehicle
carrying eight dismounted infantry. The command post version has extensive communications equipment and is armed with a 12.7mm machine gun. The mortar version has a Denel breech loaded 60mm long-range mortar, while the ATGM model has two Denel Aerospace Ingwe 5,000m range missiles mounted either side in the ready-to launch position.
While the modular turret has been developed by Denel Land Systems, the chassis will be the Finnish Patria Vehicles Armoured Modular Vehicle, which is already in service with Finland and Poland. This advanced two-person turret is being offered for other applications. For
the South African requirement, the chassis has been modified and has a higher level of ballistic and mine protection. The chassis will be
manufactured under licence in South Africa by BAE Systems OMC.