Meet the Badger IFV, a South African light tank featuring a 30 mm gun on the Patria chassis, still yet to be delivered to the South African Army.
Badger IFV: A Light Tank for Great Britain at Rank VI
At a glance:
- Fast-firing 30 mm automatic cannon with APFSDS rounds
- Patria chassis with a top speed of 100 km/h
- Stabilized turret with thermals
- 3 crew and light armor
With the ageing Ratel IFV still in service, South Africa looked to develop a new, modern IFV to replace it through five variants: Command, Missile, Section, Fire Support, and Mortar. A new initiative named Project Hoefyster (horseshoe) was launched in 2007, with the aim to produce a new vehicle by 2012. The Finnish Patria AMV was selected as the chassis, being modified to fit the SA landscape, and the main contractor, Denel Land Systems was selected to make the turret, gun and build the first vehicles. Following this, 22 pre-production vehicles were built in Finland and shipped over to South Africa. In 2018, the first vehicles with the 30 mm gun were tested at General de Wet training ground.
Originally, 264 vehicles were ordered, however as a result of delays and financial issues, Denel have not provided the South African Army with any production Badger vehicles so far. The South African Government have suggested to cancel the project entirely, and as of 2025 Project Hoefyster has been postponed indefinitely. The Badger IFV for the South African Army still remains in question.
Introducing the Badger IFV!
A brand-new top-tier light tank is arriving for Great Britain in the next major update! Meet the Badger IFV, a South African vehicle intended to replace the Ratel in the real world, however its future is still uncertain. Featuring a 30 mm automatic cannon and the Patria chassis, the Badger IFV will be potent in the light tank role. Let’s take a look at what this furry animal is all about!
The Badger IFV has been built and tested through Project Hoefyster, but the South African Army still awaits production vehicles to be delivered after years of delays. Let’s first dive into the Badger IFV’s turret and gun. This turret was designed by Denel and features a 30 mm GI-30 automatic cannon that is capable of firing sabot, APFSDS and HEI rounds. This is all backed up by a laser rangefinder and thermal imagers, making precision shots at longer ranges easier.
Through Project Hoefyster, the Finnish Patria AMV 8x8 was selected as the chassis of choice thanks to its modular design allowing for a range of different turrets to fit with it. This is an excellent chassis that weighs 26 tons and is capable of reaching 100 km/h on roads and rough ground, allowing you to reach strong positions fast. Despite all this however, the Patria chassis is tall and large and may struggle in tight areas, making this vehicle an easy target. Be sure to pick your fights and choose your positions wisely!
Not only is this vehicle large in size, its armor is fairly weak all over. Featuring just 10 mm of armor across the main areas, the Badger IFV can be penetrated by almost anything and won’t survive long under sustained fire due to its crew of 3. Be sure to support your team with this vehicle or hit the flanks hard!
That’s it for this one! Coming in the next major update, the Badger IFV tops off Great Britain’s light tank line and is going to be a devastating vehicle to come up against in the right environment. Check out our website for other dev blogs that we’re cooking!
Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.
You can greatly speed up the research with this packs:
Kick-start your British vehicles research with this starter pack:
You can greatly speed up the research of the Badger IFV with this pack:
- Crusader II “The Saint” (Rank II, Britain)
- Spitfire Mk.IIa Venture I (Rank II, Britain)
- Premium Account for 7 days
- 120.000 Silver Lions
- 9.99 Store
- Challenger DS (Rank VII, Britain)
- Premium account for 15 days
- 2000 Golden Eagles
- 64.99 Store
