The Wer'wolf MKII is a
Namibian designed and built military vehicle that offers protection against small arms fire and land mines. The vehicle uses a
MAN
A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy.
Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the f ...
chassis, axles and engine. The Wer'Wolf MKII is a modular vehicle. It is built with a crew compartment that seats three people plus a driver and a rear flatbed configuration. The flat bed configuration allows for different modules to be fitted. It is suited for rough terrain, in APC configuration the Wer'Wolf MKII can carry up to 10 passengers plus the driver. Designed and built in 1998 it was the first Mine Protected Vehicle manufactured by
Windhoeker Maschinenfabrik after it was bought by
Government of Namibia
The government of Namibia consists of the executive, the legislative and the judiciary branches. The Cabinet is the executive organ of government, implementing the laws of the country. It consists of the president, the prime minister and his de ...
.
Design
The Wer'wolf MKII was developed by
Windhoeker Maschinenfabrik, a subsidiary of
August 26 Group which in turn is wholly owned by the
Government of Namibia
The government of Namibia consists of the executive, the legislative and the judiciary branches. The Cabinet is the executive organ of government, implementing the laws of the country. It consists of the president, the prime minister and his de ...
. The vehicle utilizes a
MAN Truck & Bus AG chassis, axle and engine and is built for the African operating environment. The modular design of the vehicle allows for the rear flatbed to be interchangeable with different mounts such as a personnel compartment, a
ZU-23-2 gun mount amongst others. As with other typical Southern African mine protected vehicles of its era it also has monocoque
Cavalry
designed to deflect a mine blast away from the occupants or cargo. The Wer'wolf MKII is in service with the
Namibia Defence Force (NDF).
The Wer'wolf MKII is in length, in width, and has a height of .
The four-wheeled vehicle can carry up to 10 passengers in APC configuration, plus driver.
The crew compartment has two roof hatches which allow a gunner to use the weapon mount. The passenger APC compartment has an additional three hatches. Two doors in the rear of the vehicle provide access for the passengers and crew.
Capabilities
The Wer'wolf MKII features ballistic protection that can withstand impacts of up to
7.62×51mm NATO
The 7.62×51mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 7.62 NATO) is a rimless, straight walled, bottlenecked, centerfire rifle cartridge. It is a standard for small arms among NATO countries.
First developed in the 1950s, the cartridge had first be ...
rounds. The Wer'wolf MKII also provides protection against triple anti tank
mines of up to under any wheel and can also withstand a double anti tank mine explosion under the hull. By adding an additional plate in the hull the vehicle can be protected against
Explosively formed penetrator mines i.e.
TMRP-6.
It has
four-wheel drive
A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is 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 pr ...
capability, and can achieve a top speed of . The Wer'wolf MKII provides side protection from
IED explosion of 14 kg of
TNT
Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...
from a stand-off distance of 3 m.
Variants
Apart from the primary APC role, the vehicle was designed for use in other roles including:
* Ambulance
* Anti aircraft artillery role
* Infantry fighting vehicle – an APC configuration armed with a
2A28 Grom 73mm gun
* VIP transport
* Freight logistics vehicle
* Multiple rocket launcher
* Recovery vehicle
* Water/Diesel tanker
* Riot control
* Communication vehicle
A variation of the Wolf MKII called a HEC wolf has also been developed by WMF and Henrik Ehlers Consult (HEC).
See also
*
Casspir
*
Buffalo (mine protected vehicle)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wer'wolf MKII
Military trucks
Military vehicles introduced in the 1990s
Wheeled armoured personnel carriers