- Yes
- No
Introduction
In the 1960s and 70s, the Eland, a domestically produced and modified version of the French Panhard AML, was the primary South African armoured car, used with great effectiveness in a series of conflicts known as the Bush/Border Wars. However, by in the 1970s, it was beginning to show some limitations, and in 1976, the South African Armoured Corps issued a new project for a “New Generation Armoured Car”. At this point in time, South Africa was under a heavy international arms embargo, so the project was going to have to be predominantly domesticaly.
The goal from the outset was for a significantly larger vehicle then the Eland, in either a 6x6 or 8x8 configuration. The first round of prototyping involved heavily modifying/rebuilding existing vehicles, and lead to the Concept 1, Concept 2, and Concept 3, all fitted with the Ordnance QF 77mm cannon taken from the retired Comet tanks.
None of these vehicles performed particularly well in trials, and the project somewhat stalled until 1980, when a second round of prototyping was initiated. The goal of these trials was to construct 3 vehicles in different weight classes, light to heavy (1-3), and assess which would be most appropriate for the needs of the SAAC/SADF. The light vehicle resulted in the Class 1, the medium vehicle resulted in the Class 2, and the heavy vehicle resulted in the Class 3.
The vehicle being discussed in this suggestion is the Class 2 ‘Cheetah Mk II,’ in its earliest configuration, equipped with the same turret as the earlier Concept-series, wielding the Ordnance QF 77mm. Several vehicles were built under the Class 2 umbrella, including the Class 2B, armed with the GT4 76mm, and the Class 2C, which was front-engined with the goal of having a rear troop compartment (which was extremely ahead of its time when compared to modern vehicles such a the Boxer, Patria, Type 16 etc). The Class 2C is also occasionally called the Class 2A, such as here, but from my understanding Class 2C is the correct name.
However, existing literature barely covers the earliest Class 2 prototype, which, as said above, is equipped with the same ex-Comet 77mm turret as the preceding Concept vehicles. The Class 2, presumably constructed earliest, between 1980-82, took part in initial trials, including fording, sloping, mobility, airlifting, and off-roading, before being identified as the likely winner of the contract, when it was then further developed into the Class 2B, which went on to become the Rooikat.
Specifications
Spoiler
Turret
Main armament: 77mm Mk2
Shell types: AP, HE, APC, APCBC
Secondary armament: One 7.62mm MG4 machine gun
Turret armour: (front: 25.4mm), (sides: 12.7mm), (rear: 12.7mm), (roof: 12.7mm)
Chassis
The following specs are for the Class 2B prototype - the armament is different but it is highly likely that the same engine and transmission were carried over from the original Class 2 prototype.
Images
Spoiler
Class 2 prototype clearly showing the QF 77mm as opposed to the GT4 76mm
Cheetah ‘FAT CAT’ equipped with wide tires. This is the vehicle in an earlier configuration with a splash guard on the front hull and grilled headlights.
Sources
Spoiler
Surviving The Ride, Steve Camp & Helmoed Romer Heitman, 2014
South African Tank and AFVs (1950-2030)
