All Topics  
Casspir

 
Casspir

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Casspir
 
 
  Topics Casspir Topic Home

The Casspir is a landmine
Land mine

A land mine is an explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the proximity of a vehicle, person, or animal....
-protected personnel carrier (APC) that has been in use in South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
 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 individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat....
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. A cavalry soldier of Private is called a Trooper ....
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.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Casspir'
Start a new discussion about 'Casspir'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Casspir is a landmine
Land mine

A land mine is an explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the proximity of a vehicle, person, or animal....
-protected personnel carrier (APC) that has been in use in South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
 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 individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat....
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. A cavalry soldier of Private is called a Trooper ....
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 Military power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to rapidly deliver Marine Air-Ground Task Force....
  MRAP
MRAP (armored vehicle)

Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles are a family of armored fighting vehicles designed to survive Improvised Explosive Device attacks and ambushes....
 project.

Design History


The name 'Casspir' is an anagram
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, Eleven plus two = Twelve plus one, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place....
 of the abbreviations of the customer, the South African Police
South African Police

The South African Police traces its origin to the The Netherlands Watch, a paramilitary organization formed by settlers in the Cape Province 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 usually refers to the urban living areas that, under 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, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, refers to the 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 Organisation , and their allies mainly the Soviet Unio...
. In particular, this conflict called for protection from land mine
Land mine

A land mine is an explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the proximity of a vehicle, person, or animal....
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 a Frame that supports an inanimate object, analogous to an animal's skeleton, for example in a motor vehicle or a firearm....
.

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

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. A development of the TM-46 mine, it is found in Africa, the Middle East, and South East Asia....
 blast (equivalent to 21 kg of TNT) under a wheel, or a double blast (14kg of TNT) under the hull. The Casspir has V-bottomed armoured monocoque
Monocoque

Monocoque, from Greek language for single and French for shell , 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....
 hull, designed to deflect the force of an explosion outwards, to which a leaf-spring suspension is attached.

Production history


About 200 Casspir Mk1's 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 APC's 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
BAE Systems

BAE Systems plc is a British defense contractor and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, Hampshire, Hampshire, England, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc....
 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 List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal 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
  • Casspir Mk 2 First user: 101 Battalion
    101 Battalion

    101 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
  • Buffalo
    Buffalo (mine protected vehicle)

    The Buffalo mine protected vehicle built by Force Protection Inc is based on the successful South African Casspir land mine-protected vehicle. As of late 2004, the United States has a limited number of Buffaloes in service, with an order for 15 more, at a cost of $10 million....
     - Casspir-based 6 wheeled vehicle built by Force Protection Inc
    Force Protection Inc

    Force Protection, Inc. is a manufacturer of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles , which have been used in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and other hot spots around the world....
  • Ordnance Factory Board of India
    India

    India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal 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

  • - 9 (refurbished SANDF units)
  • - 255 (refurbished SANDF units)
  • - used by Kopassus
    Kopassus

    Kopassus, abbreviation for Komando Pasukan Khusus is an Indonesian Army special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-terrorism, and intelligence ....
    , an Indonesian Army special operations unit
  • 90 2nd hand Casspir and 150 Indian MPV*


Combat History

  • South Africa
    South Africa

    The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
  • Angola
    Angola

    Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordering Namibia to the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, and Zambia to the east, and with a west coast along the Atlantic Ocean....
  • Namibia
    Namibia

    Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in southern Africa on the Atlantic Ocean coast. It shares borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south....
  • Mozambique
    Mozambique

    Mozambique, 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....
  • Croatia
    Croatia

    Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a Central European country at the crossroads of Pannonian Plain, Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea....
     - de-mining
  • Afghanistan
    Afghanistan

    Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
     - Bagram Air Base
    Bagram Air Base

    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....
     - de-mining 2003
  • Iraq
    Iraq

    Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....


See also

  • Infantry fighting vehicle
    Infantry fighting vehicle

    An infantry fighting vehicle is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide fire support for them....
  • MRAP (armored vehicle)
    MRAP (armored vehicle)

    Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles are a family of armored fighting vehicles designed to survive Improvised Explosive Device attacks and ambushes....
  • List of AFVs
  • Buffalo (mine protected vehicle)
    Buffalo (mine protected vehicle)

    The Buffalo mine protected vehicle built by Force Protection Inc is based on the successful South African Casspir land mine-protected vehicle. As of late 2004, the United States has a limited number of Buffaloes in service, with an order for 15 more, at a cost of $10 million....
  • Buffel
    Buffel

    The Buffel is a mine-protected armored personnel carrier used by the South Africa Army during the South African Border War. It was certainly not the most comfortable vehicle, but it offered the necessary protection against mine attack....
  • Mamba APC
    Mamba APC

    The Mamba is a South Africa armoured personnel carrier based on the Unimog that is ideally suited for regions with weak or no road infrastructure....
  • RCV-9
    RCV-9

    The RCV-9 is a light armoured vehicle manufactured by Land Systems OMC of South Africa....
  • RG-12
    RG-12

    The 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....
  • RG-19
    RG-19

    The 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....
  • RG-31
    RG-31

    The RG-31 Nyala is a multi-purpose mine-protected armoured personnel carrier  manufactured in South Africa by Land Systems OMC a division of BAE Systems....
  • RG-32
    RG-32

    The 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....
  • RG-33
    RG-33

    The RG-33 is a mine-resistant light armored vehicle designed by BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa a South African subsidiary of BAE Systems and built in York, Pennsylvania, United States of America....