Casspir
Encyclopedia
The Casspir is a landmine
-protected personnel carrier
(APC) that has been in use in South Africa
for over 20 years. It is a four wheeled armour
ed vehicle, used for transport of troop
s. It can hold a crew of two, plus 12 additional soldiers and associated gear. The Casspir was unique in design when launched, providing for passive mine defence. The main body of the vehicle is V-shaped and raised above the ground, so that if 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, directing the force of the explosion outwards, further protecting the occupants. The vehicle is also armoured for added mine safety, as well as protection from small arms fire. The Casspir was the inspiration and prototype for the US Marines
MRAP
project.
The name 'Casspir' is an anagram
of the abbreviations of the customer, the South African Police
(SAP), and the design company, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR). Although the Casspir was deployed in townships
during the apartheid era, it was initially designed specifically for conditions encountered in the South African Border War
. In particular, this conflict called for protection from land mine
s combined with high manoeuvrability to cover long distances - these requirements led to the distinctive V-shaped hull
(for mine protection) and a wheeled chassis
.
The Casspir was designed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR) specifically to protect vehicle occupants against landmines. It is certified to protect its occupants against a triple TM-57 mine
blast (equivalent to 21 kg of TNT) under a wheel, or a double blast (14 kg of TNT) under the hull. The Casspir has V-bottomed armoured monocoque
hull, designed to deflect the force of an explosion outwards, to which a leaf-spring suspension is attached.
About 200 Casspir Mk1s were originally built by the CSIR in 1979/80. The production was taken over by TFM in 1981, which improved the design to the Mk 2. Some 2500 Casspir series APCs were built by TFM of South Africa, which was subsequently taken over by Reumech OMC. Reumech in turn was taken over by Vickers Defence Systems of the UK and renamed Vickers OMC. When Alvis purchased Vickers Defence Systems to become Alvis Vickers, Vickers OMC became Alvis OMC. In 2004 BAE Systems
acquired Alvis Vickers and Alvis OMC was renamed Land Systems OMC
.
In 1998, two Casspir mine-protected vehicles (MPVs) underwent extensive mobility and ballistic evaluation in India
over two months, covering over 9000 km. As part of this evaluation, one of the vehicles was put through four blast tests, involving one anti-tank mine and three improvised devices of the type typically encountered during operations in Jammu & Kashmir. The Casspir MPV was then repaired and driven back to the evaluation centre.
In August 1998, India purchased 90 'reconditioned' Casspirs for the Army and Para-Military forces in Jammu & Kashmir. In April 1999, the Army acquired a further 90 Casspir MPVs and an additional 75 were delivered in 2001.
The Casspir was built in different configurations:
, an Indonesian Army special operations unit: Approximately five in use.: 90 2nd hand Casspir and 150 Indian MPV: Policía Nacional del Peru (DIROES)
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
-protected personnel carrier
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
(APC) that has been in use in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
for over 20 years. It is a four wheeled armour
Armour
Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object, individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat, or from damage caused by a potentially dangerous environment or action...
ed vehicle, used for transport of troop
Troop
A troop is a military unit, originally a small force of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron and headed by the troop leader. In many armies a troop is the equivalent unit to the infantry section or platoon...
s. It can hold a crew of two, plus 12 additional soldiers and associated gear. The Casspir was unique in design when launched, providing for passive mine defence. The main body of the vehicle is V-shaped and raised above the ground, so that if 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, directing the force of the explosion outwards, further protecting the occupants. The vehicle is also armoured for added mine safety, as well as protection from small arms fire. The Casspir was the inspiration and prototype for the US Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
MRAP
MRAP
MRAP stands for Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l'amitié entre les peuples , and is an anti-racist French NGO, created in 1949...
project.
Design history
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
of the abbreviations of the customer, the South African Police
South African Police
The South African Police was the country's police force until 1994. The SAP traced its origin to the Dutch Watch, a paramilitary organization formed by settlers in the Cape in 1655, initially to protect civilians against attack and later to maintain law and order...
(SAP), and the design company, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research 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 city of Pretoria...
(CSIR). Although the Casspir was deployed in townships
Township (South Africa)
In South Africa, the term township and location usually refers to the urban living areas that, from the late 19th century until the end of Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites . Townships were usually built on the periphery of towns and cities...
during the apartheid era, it was initially designed specifically for conditions encountered in the South African Border War
South African Border War
The South African Border War, commonly referred to as the Angolan Bush War in South Africa, was a conflict that took place from 1966 to 1989 in South-West Africa and Angola between South Africa and its allied forces on the one side and the Angolan government, South-West Africa People's...
. In particular, this conflict called for protection from land mine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
s combined with high manoeuvrability to cover long distances - these requirements led to the distinctive V-shaped hull
V-hull
The V-hull is a type of vehicle armor design used on wheeled armored personnel carriers , infantry mobility vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles...
(for mine protection) and a wheeled chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
.
The Casspir was designed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research 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 city of Pretoria...
(CSIR) specifically to protect vehicle occupants against landmines. It is certified to protect its occupants against a triple TM-57 mine
TM-57 mine
right|thumb|A TM-57 with a tilt-rod [[Fuze#Munition_fuzes|fuze]]The TM-57 mine is a large circular Russian metal cased blast anti-tank mine. It can either be triggered by a pressure or a tilt-rod fuze...
blast (equivalent to 21 kg of TNT) under a wheel, or a double blast (14 kg of TNT) under the hull. The Casspir has V-bottomed armoured monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
hull, designed to deflect the force of an explosion outwards, to which a leaf-spring suspension is attached.
Production history
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
acquired Alvis Vickers and Alvis OMC was renamed Land Systems OMC
BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa
BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa is a South African defence company and a subsidiary of BAE Systems Land Systems, itself part of BAE Systems Land and Armaments...
.
In 1998, two Casspir mine-protected vehicles (MPVs) underwent extensive mobility and ballistic evaluation in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
over two months, covering over 9000 km. As part of this evaluation, one of the vehicles was put through four blast tests, involving one anti-tank mine and three improvised devices of the type typically encountered during operations in Jammu & Kashmir. The Casspir MPV was then repaired and driven back to the evaluation centre.
In August 1998, India purchased 90 'reconditioned' Casspirs for the Army and Para-Military forces in Jammu & Kashmir. In April 1999, the Army acquired a further 90 Casspir MPVs and an additional 75 were delivered in 2001.
Variants
- Casspir Mk 1 First user in combat: Operation Crowbar/Operasie Koevoet,SWA/Namibia
- Casspir Mk 2 First user: 101 Battalion101 Battalion101 Battalion was one of eight South West African military units that made up the South West African Territorial Force and was the final name of the Owambo Battalion - South West Africa was a territory administered by South Africa under United Nations Mandate...
, SWATF - Casspir Mk 2C (I)
- Casspir Mk 3 - 170 hp (127 kW) ADE-352T 6 cylinder turbo-diesel
- Ordnance Factory Board of IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's MPV
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 litres tank (30 built)
- FISTV - Fire Support Team vehicle
- Gemsbok Recovery vehicle - 15 ton capacity (30 built)
- Mechem Mine clearing vehicle - uses steel wheels to detonate mines
- MEDDS Mine Sensor 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
Operators
- (refurbished SANDF units) - 255 (refurbished SANDF units): Used by KopassusKopassus
Kopassus is an Indonesian Army special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and intelligence gathering.Kopassus was founded on April 16, 1952...
, an Indonesian Army special operations unit: Approximately five in use.: 90 2nd hand Casspir and 150 Indian MPV: Policía Nacional del Peru (DIROES)
Combat history
- South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- AngolaAngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
- NamibiaNamibiaNamibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
- MozambiqueMozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
- CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
- de-mining - AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
- Bagram Air BaseBagram Air BaseBagram Airfield, also referred to as Bagram Air Base, is a militarized airport and housing complex that is located next to the ancient city of Bagram, southeast of Charikar in Parwan province of Afghanistan. The base is run by a US Army division headed by a major general. A large part of the base,...
- de-mining 2003 - IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
Popular culture
- Casspirs, in an allegorical reflection of township usage during apartheid, are used against aliens by the fictional MNU in the film District 9District 9District 9 is a 2009 South African science fiction thriller film directed by Neill Blomkamp. It was written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. The film stars Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, and David James...
(2009); one can also be seen at the beginning of the 1982 scene in the movie Goodbye Bafana. - The vehicle is used in the music video to the GorillazGorillazGorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
song "Dirty HarryDirty Harry (song)"Dirty Harry" is a song from Gorillaz' second album Demon Days. It was the third single from the album, released 21 November 2005. It peaked at #6 in the UK. It was also released as a promo and onto iTunes earlier that year. An early version of "Dirty Harry" titled "I Need a Gun" was included on...
". - Lucky Dube, a South African musician, sits on top of a Casspir in his music video Taxman. The Casspir, which many South Africans view as an icon of Apartheid-era police crackdowns, serves as an emblem of government oppression and unfair taxation in this video.
See also
- Infantry fighting vehicleInfantry fighting vehicleAn infantry fighting vehicle , also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle , is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide fire support for them...
- List of AFVs
- Buffalo (mine protected vehicle)Buffalo (mine protected vehicle)The Buffalo mine protected vehicle is a wheeled armored vehicle built by Force Protection Inc. It was designed based on the successful South African Casspir mine-protected vehicle. While the Casspir is a four wheeled vehicle, the Buffalo has six wheels. Buffalo is also fitted with a large...
, a Casspir-based 6 wheeled vehicle built by Force Protection IncForce Protection IncForce Protection, Inc. is a manufacturer of ballistic- and blast-protected vehicles which have been used in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and other hot spots around the world.-Company:... - BuffelBuffelThe Buffel is a mine-protected APC used by the South African Army during the South African Border War. The Buffel was also used as an armoured fighting vehicle and proved itself in this role...
- Mamba APCMamba APCThe Mamba is a South African armoured personnel carrier that offers protection against small arms fire and land mines. The vehicle, which uses a Unimog chassis and is powered by a Mercedes Benz engine, is suited for rough terrain and can carry up to 10 passengers plus the driver...
- RCV-9RCV-9The RCV-9 is a light armoured vehicle manufactured by Land Systems OMC of South Africa.-Production history:It was developed in 1986 as a private venture by Sandock-Austral as an internal security vehicle for protecting high risk areas such as airports...
- RG-12RG-12The RG-12 is a multi-purpose public order vehicle with anti-personnel mine, grenade, fire bomb and small arms fire protection that is manufactured by Land Systems OMC of South Africa, with over 700 being in service globally in more than eight countries.Originally designed as a police public order...
- RG-19RG-19The RG-19 Caddie is a prototype Armoured Personnel carrier manufactured by TFM of South Africa. The company was later taken over by Reunert Defence OMC.-Production history:...
- RG-31RG-31The RG-31 Nyala is a 4×4 multi-purpose mine-protected armoured personnel carrier manufactured in South Africa by Land Systems OMC, a division of BAE Systems. It is based on the Mamba APC of TFM Industries...
- RG-32RG-32The RG-32 Scout is a family of mine-resistant 4x4 light armoured vehicles made by BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa in South Africa. It is based on the RG-31, which is already deployed worldwide with peace-keeping, security and combat forces. The combat weight of the vehicle is about 7,300kg...
- RG-33RG-33The RG-33 is a mine-resistant light armored vehicle initially designed by BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa a South African subsidiary of BAE Systems. BAE Systems in the US extensively modified it with additional protection, new power train and suspension systems. It was built in a number of...