The Mamba is a South African

armoured personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

designed for

internal security Internal security is the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other Self-governance, self-governing territories, generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats. Responsibility fo ...

purposes. It was developed during the late 1980s to replace 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 ...

in service with the South African military and security forces. The first models were built on a 4X2

Toyota Dyna The Toyota Dyna is a light to medium-duty cab over truck for commercial use. In the Japanese market, the Dyna is sold alongside its twin called the Toyoace. The Toyoace was a renaming of the Toyopet SKB Truck as a result of a 1956 public competi ...

chassis, which was subsequently replaced in production around 1994 by a more reliable

Unimog The Unimog (, ) is a range of multi-purpose tractors, trucks and lorries that has been produced by Boehringer from 1948 until 1951, and by Daimler Truck (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler AG) since 1951. In the United States and ...

chassis. All marks of the Mamba were designed to be mine-resistant and blastproof.

Development history

Mamba Mk1

The

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. ...

issued a requirement for a new armoured vehicle in 1987 capable of a wide variety of roles, namely border protection and internal security. The Mamba Mk1 was developed the following year and utilised the chassis of a

4X2 truck. A number were accepted into service between 1990 and 1994.

Subsequent marks

After 1994, the Mamba utilised a

truck chassis for better off-road performance and ground clearance. The first units were derived from surplus

vehicles. Its V-shaped hull is designed to deflect a mine blast away from the occupants. It is powered by a 352N

Mercedes Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

6-cylinder diesel engine. The Mamba entered service in 1995, and is still in use with the

South African National Defence Force The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the Military, armed forces of South Africa. The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the President of South Africa from one of the Military branch, armed services. They are in turn a ...

(SANDF) and several other countries. The SANDF now uses the Mamba Mk2 and Mamba Mk3 versions, with 600 Mk2s upgraded to Mk3 configuration. The Mamba is in length, in width, and has a height of . The four-wheeled vehicle can carry up to 10 passengers, excluding the driver. A roof hatch allows a gunner to use the weapon mount, which can be equipped with a 12.7 mm machine gun. A large door at the rear of the vehicle provides access to the passengers and crew. The Mk3 features better ballistic protection over the Mk2 – the latter can withstand impacts from up to 7.62×51mm NATO rounds, while the former is capable of handling 5.56×45mm NATO impacts. The Mk3 is also lighter, more stable, has lower operating costs and comes with an 8-speed transmission compared to the 4-speed transmission of the Mk2. However, the Mk3 has a range of only whereas the Mk2 has a range of . The Mamba also provides protection against mines of up to . It has

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

capability, and can achieve a top speed of . Apart from the APC role, the vehicle may also be used as an ambulance, a command vehicle, a VIP transport, or a logistics vehicle. The newest Mamba, the Mk5, is manufactured by N4-Trucks in South Africa, and delivers 240 hp (176Kw) from a water-cooled Iveco engine, a range over 600 km, over 4,500 kg payload, and a B7 ballistic protection versus previous B6 capabilities of the Mk1-Mk3.

Combat history

Mambas have been deployed primarily with peacekeeping missions mounted by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

and the

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...

. The Mamba has seen active service with the

United Nations Observer Mission in Angola The United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA, Mission d'Observation des Nations Unies à l'Angola) was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1118, Resolution 1118 of 30 June 1997. Due to ...

(MONUA), the

United Nations Protection Force The United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR; also known by its French acronym FORPRONU: ''Force de Protection des Nations Unies'') was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav War ...

(UNPROFOR), the

United Nations Force Intervention Brigade The United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) is a military formation which constitutes part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). It was authorized by the United Nations ...

(FIB), and the British contingent of the

Kosovo Force The Kosovo Force (KFOR) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO-led international NATO peacekeeping, peacekeeping force in Kosovo. Its operations are gradually reducing until Kosovo Security Force, Kosovo's Security Force, established in 2 ...

. During the

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 ...

, it was widely deployed by private security contractors in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Operators

*: 18 *: 10 *: 14 *: 25 *: 10 *: 23 *: 5 *: 6 * *: 6 *: 87 *: 15 *: 14 *: 3 * Unknown quantity *: 6

Variants and derivatives

Numerous variants of the Mamba have been produced, as well as vehicles derived from it. * Mamba Mk1 - Original 2x4 (Over 500 built by TFM Industries later becomes Reumech OMC) ** Springbuck Mk1 - modified version ** Reva Mk1 - modified version by ICP ** Puma - modified version with a

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

Dyna 7-145 powerplant and drivetrain * Mamba Mk2 - 4x4 (built by

Sandock Austral Sandock-Austral was a South African defence company formed through the 1971 merger of the Austral armaments company and Sandock Ltd dockyards, as a subsidiary of the Gencor mining group. The company was absorbed into Land Systems OMC, part of BA ...

and TFM) Mamba Mk II - Improved production version. ** Mamba Mk2 EE - Version produced for the Estonian Army ** Mamba Mk2 SW - Version produced for the Swedish Army ** Komanche - A short wheeled base (SWB) version which can carry up to 7 troops ** Sabre - 4 man cab with a cargo area in the rear ** Alvis 4 - Version produced by Alvis UK for the British Army ** Alvis 8 - Komanche SWB version produced by Alvis UK for the British Army **

RG-31 Nyala The RG-31 Nyala is a 4×4 multi-purpose mine-resistant ambush protected infantry mobility vehicle manufactured in South Africa by Land Systems OMC (the division of Denel SOC LTD, located in Benoni, South Africa) and in Turkey by FNSS Defence S ...

- redesigned version by TFM ** Romad - modified version by

) ** Reva Mk2 - modified version by ICP with Cummins powerplant **Springbuck Mk2 - modified version *Mamba Mk3 - 4x4 version fitted with Mercedes Benz 312N engine. Built by Alvis OMC ** Reva Mk3 - modified version by ICP *'
Mamba Mk5
'' - 4x4 fitted with Iveco Euro 3 engine and B7 armor. Built b
Osprea Logistics SA
*'
Mamba Mk7
'' - 4x4 fitted with Deutz BF6L9l4C Turbo engine and B7 steel and glass; upgrade to Stanag 3- with 0.50 Cal protection. Built b

http://osprea.com/vehicles/armoured/mamba-mk7/ Osprea Logistics] ** Mamba Mk7-X - *'

'' - 4x4 fitted with a Deutz BF06M1015C with 408 HP water-cooled engine. STANAG 4a4b blast protection and STANAG 3- ballistic protection. Built b

References

External links

Mamba Armored Personnel Carrier - Military Today
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Armoured personnel carriers of South Africa Military trucks Paramilitary vehicles Military vehicles introduced in the 1990s