The Casspir is a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle that has been in use in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

since the 1980s. It is a four-wheeled, four-wheel drive vehicle, used for transport of

troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...

s. It can hold a crew of two, plus 12 additional soldiers and associated equipment. The Casspir was unique in design when launched, providing for passive mine defence. The main armoured steel body of the vehicle is raised high above the ground, so when a mine is detonated, the explosion is less likely to damage the crew compartment and kill the occupants. The cross-section of the hull is V-shaped (

V-hull The V-hull is a type of vehicle armor design used on wheeled armored personnel carriers (APCs), infantry mobility vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and MRAPs. The design originated in the 1970s with vehicles such as the iconic Casspir ...

), directing the force of the explosion outwards, further protecting the occupants. The vehicle also offers crew protection from small arms fire. The capabilities of the Casspir were the basis of the outline capabilities required by the U.S. Marines' for their Mine Resistant Ambush Protected or

MRAP Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP; ) is a term for United States Armed Forces, United States military light tactical vehicles produced as part of the MRAP program that are designed specifically to withstand improvised explosive device (IE ...

vehicle project.

Design history

The name 'Casspir' is an

anagram An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...

of the abbreviations of the customer, the

South African Police The South African Police (SAP) was the national police force and law enforcement agency in South Africa from 1913 to 1994; it was the ''de facto'' police force in the territory of South West Africa (Namibia) from 1939 to 1981. After South Afr ...

, and the design authority, the

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is South Africa's central and premier scientific research and development organisation. It was established by an act of parliament in 1945 and is situated on its own campus in the cit ...

(CSIR – Applied Chemistry Unit that later became MECHEM). Although the Casspir was deployed in

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

during the apartheid era, it was initially designed specifically for conditions encountered in the

South African Border War The South African Border War, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia (then South West Africa), Zambia, and Angol ...

. It was at first extensively used by the infamous "

Koevoet Koevoet (, meaning '' crowbar'', also known as Operation K or SWAPOL-COIN) was the counterinsurgency branch of the South West African Police (SWAPOL). Its formations included white South African police officers, usually seconded from the South ...

" police counterinsurgency unit in northern Namibia during the apartheid era and later also by the

South-West Africa Territorial Force The South West Africa Territorial Force (SWATF) was an auxiliary arm of the South African Defence Force (SADF) and comprised the armed forces of South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1977 to 1989. It emerged as a product of South Africa's politi ...

's 101 Battalion and the SA Army's 5 Reconnaissance Regiment. The chief criteria for the design was good off-road mobility, armour protection against small arms fire and anti-personnel mines, and ease and speed of repair by a light workshop crew in the field after detonating an anti-tank mine. These requirements led to the distinctive V-shaped hull (for mine protection) and a wheeled

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

. The Casspir was designed by the Defence Research Unit (DRU) of CSIR specifically to protect vehicle occupants against

landmines A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...

. It is certified to protect its occupants against a triple

TM-57 mine A TM-57 with a tilt-rod fuze The TM-57 mine is a large, circular Soviet metal-cased blast anti-tank mine. It can either be triggered by a pressure or a tilt-rod fuze. A development of the TM-46 mine, it is found in Africa, the Middle East, and S ...

blast (equivalent to 21 kg of TNT) under a wheel, or a double blast (14 kg of TNT) under the hull. The Casspir has a V-bottomed armoured

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

hull, designed to deflect the force of an explosion outwards, to which a

leaf-spring A leaf spring is a simple form of spring commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles. Originally called a ''laminated'' or ''carriage spring'', and sometimes referred to as a semi-elliptical spring, elliptical spring, or cart spring, i ...

suspension is attached.

Production history

After two years of field testing, the South African Police were eventually satisfied they had a good vehicle and in March 1980 placed an order for an initial 140 Casspirs. Some 190 Mk1 Casspirs were manufactured by Henred Fruehauf. In 1981 production was taken over by TFM, which improved the design to the Mk 2. TFM was subsequently taken over by Reumech OMC. Reumech in turn was taken over by

Vickers Defence Systems Vickers plc was the remainder of Vickers-Armstrongs after the nationalisation of three of its four operating groups: aviation (as a 50% share since 1960 of British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) in 1977), shipbuilding ( Vickers Limited Shipbuilding ...

of the UK and renamed Vickers OMC. When Alvis purchased Vickers Defence Systems to become

Alvis Vickers Alvis PLC was created when United Scientific Holdings plc acquired the Alvis division of the nationalised vehicle manufacturer British Leyland in 1981. United Scientific maintained its own name until 1992 when the group was renamed Alvis plc. ...

, Vickers OMC became Alvis OMC. In 2004

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...

acquired Alvis Vickers and Alvis OMC was renamed

Land Systems OMC Land Systems OMC is a South African company that produces a range of armoured vehicles which have been successfully exported and are in service with, amongst others, the U.S., Canadian and South African militaries. It is a division of Denel SOC LT ...

. Land Systems OMC was 75 per cent acquired by

Denel Denel SOC Ltd is a South African state-owned aerospace and military technology conglomerate established in 1992. It was created when the manufacturing subsidiaries of Armscor were split off in order for Armscor to become the procurement agency ...

in 2015. An estimated 2800 Casspirs of all types have been built. In 2018 the ADE 352 engines, gearboxes, shock absorbers, differentials and other parts are still being supplied by ADE (Atlantis Diesel Engineering) in South Africa as well as the later model Casspir NG2000. The

South African Police Service The South African Police Service (SAPS) is the national police force of the Republic of South Africa. Its 1,154 police stations in South Africa are divided according to the provincial borders, and a Provincial Commissioner is appointed in eac ...

sold some of their surplus Casspirs to the public at a 2008 auction. A new Casspir known as ''Casspir NG 2000'' is being manufactured by

Mechem. The vehicle was launched in April 2013.

Variants

* Casspir Mk 1. Made extensive use of Mercedes-Benz truck components. First use in combat:

South West African Police The South West African Police (SWAPOL) was the national police force of South West Africa (now Namibia), responsible for law enforcement and public safety in South West Africa when the territory was administered by South Africa. It was organised ...

* Casspir Mk 2 First user:

101 Battalion 101 Battalion (pronounced as ''one-o-one Battalion'') was a quick-reaction unit of the South West African Territorial Force, composed of black and white Officer (military), commissioned and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel. History Origin The ...

South West African Territorial Force The South West Africa Territorial Force (SWATF) was an auxiliary arm of the South African Defence Force (SADF) and comprised the armed forces of South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1977 to 1989. It emerged as a product of South Africa's politic ...

* Casspir Mk 2C (I) * Casspir Mk 3 – 170 hp (127 kW) ADE-352T 6-cylinder turbo-diesel * Casspir 2000 & NG2000A (Mercedes Benz based) * Casspir 2000B (Powerstar – North Benz based) * Casspir 2000C (SINO Truck Military based) The Casspir was built in different configurations: * APC – armoured personnel carrier * Artillery Fire Control vehicle * Ambulance * Blesbok Freighter – with drop side cargo area for up to 5 tons (160 built). Can be used as a weapon platform. * Duiker Tanker – 5000 litre tank (30 built); originally with 3000 litre tank * FISTV – Fire Support Team vehicle * Gemsbok Recovery vehicle – 15-ton capacity (30 built) * Mechem Mine clearing vehicle – uses steel wheels to detonate mines * MEDDS (Mechem Explosives and Drug Detection System) Mine Sensor vehicle * Mechem VAMMIDS (Vehicular Array Mine Detection System) Vehicle * Plofadder Mine clearing System – carrier of the containerised Plofadder 160AT rocket-propelled mine clearing system * Riot Control vehicle – Police version with larger windows to increase visibility * Mechem LP (Low-Profile) and short-wheelbase vehicle * Casspir Dumpy – A shortened version (1 m shorter) developed and purchased by the SA Army in 1982 to be evaluated against the requirements for the

Buffel The Buffel (English: ''Buffalo'') is an infantry mobility vehicle used by the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War. The Buffel was also used as an armoured fighting vehicle and proved itself in this role. It replaced ...

replacement project. Did not enter production * Sesspir – In 1984–85 the CSIR developed a prototype Casspir with six wheels. An additional non-driven axle was fitted in front of the front drive axle, this to be sacrificed in the event of a landmine detonation. It steered along with the regular driven front wheels and was equipped with winch cables to hoist either side of the axle clear off the ground in the event of the loss of a wheel. The theory being the vehicle would remain mobile. The idea was shelved as one of numerous problems was simply a lack of power from the engine to push the undriven axle along through bush and soft sand. Only one

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...

was built. * Casspir NG Series or Casspir 2000 is known as the new generation hence Casspir NG 2000. Available in various models 2000, 2000A; 2000B; 2000C and a possible D model, all to house various drive trains. The NG design allow a common Hull to fit various drive trains and either manual or automatic drive. The latest in the NG series is a design that is based on monocoque design and Chassis Cab design, specific in the support variants. The NG2000 Series offer currently the following variants. ** Casspir NG Troop Carrier – specific Military application ** Casspir NG Personnel Carrier – specific for Humanitarian purposes ** Casspir NG Security/Police special variant ** Casspir NG Wide Body Command and Control special variant ** Casspir NG Wide Body Ambulance special variant ** Casspir NG Wide Body Reconnaissance special variant ** Casspir NG Wide Body Weapons Platform Carrier special variant- to be suitable for Indirect Mortar; Anti-Tank or Anti-Aircraft ** Casspir NG Wide Body Cargo special variant ** Casspir NG Wide Body Fuel Carrier special variant ** Casspir NG Wide Body Water Carrier special variant. ** Casspir NG Wide Body Recovery Light special variant ** Casspir NG Wide Body Recovery Heavy special variant (6x6) "Eland" ** Casspir NG Wide Body Art Light Gun Tractor special variant (6x6) ** Casspir NG Chassis Cab Cargo special variant (4x4 & 6x6) – "Likkewaan" ** Casspir NG Chassis Cab Water Carrier special variant (4x4 & 6x6) – "Likkewaan" ** Casspir NG Chassis Cab Fuel Carrier special variant (4x4 & 6x6) – "Likkewaan" ** Casspir NG Chassis Cab Hooklift special variant (6x6) – "Likkewaan" ** Casspir NG Chassis Cab Art Gun Tractor special variant (6x6) – "Likkewaan" ** Casspir NG Chassis Cab Tipper Truck special variant (6x4 & 6x6) – "Likkewaan" ** Casspir NG Chassis Cab Truck Tractor special variant (6x4 & 6x6) – "Likkewaan" ** Casspir NG Chassis Cab Recovery special variant Light, Medium and Heavy (4x4, 6x6 & 8x8) – "Likkewaan"

Operators

*: 61 *: 10 *: 10 * *: 3 * *: 4 *: 200+ Used by

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

and other paramilitary forces *: 2 Casspir. Used by

Kopassus The Kopassus ( id, Komando Pasukan Khusus, Special Forces Command) is an Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sa ...

* *: 12 *: 29 *: 15 *: 20 inherited from the

. *: 37 *: Policía Nacional del Peru (DIROES) *: 9 *: 9 *: 3 *: 9Military Balance 2017 *: 370 in

South African Army The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. ...

service. *: 5 *: 42 *: 68

Combat history

Angolan Civil War The Angolan Civil War ( pt, Guerra Civil Angolana) was a civil war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes, until 2002. The war immediately began after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. The war was ...

Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir The insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, also known as the Kashmir insurgency, is an ongoing separatist militant insurgency against the Indian administration in Jammu and Kashmir, a territory constituting the southwestern portion of the larger ...

* Caprivi conflict *

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

Second Congo War The Second Congo War,, group=lower-alpha also known as the Great War of Africa or the Great African War and sometimes referred to as the African World War, began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August 1998, little more than a year a ...

African Union Mission to Somalia The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was a regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It was mandated to support transitional governmental structures, imple ...

Popular culture

Boycott Apartheid campaign bus (WOW 551J), London, 1989

The Casspir has entered South African popular culture as an icon of apartheid-era state repression and is controversial for its continued deployment in South Africa for policing tasks. A

beadwork Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary b ...

Casspir, with Ndebele designs, outside the

Iziko South African National Gallery The Iziko South African National Gallery is the national art gallery of South Africa located in Cape Town. It became part of the Iziko collection of museums – as managed by the Department of Arts and Culture – in 2001. It then became an agenc ...

was installed as a representation of this iconography of the vehicle. Created by interdisciplinary contemporary artist Ralph Ziman, the artwork is titled ''The Casspir Project''. A Casspir also forms part of the South Africa Apartheid Museum's exhibit on repression in the townships in the 1980s. Casspirs were extensively used by the human characters to enter into the alien settlement zone in the 2009 movie ''

District 9 ''District 9'' is a 2009 science fiction mockumentary film directed by Neill Blomkamp in his feature film debut, written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. It is a co-production of New Zeala ...

''. A Casspir is seen in the music video for the song "Dirty Harry" by

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...

References

External links

Casspir webpage

Video; Mechem – Vehicle Business inc. Casspir

Video; Mechem – Casspir

Video; N4Trucks – Casspir

Video; Casspir MkIV

Video; Casspir MkIV launch at AAD 2010
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Armoured personnel carriers of South Africa Cold War military equipment of South Africa Military vehicles introduced in the 1980s