The South African Army's long search for armoured personnel carriers (APCs) for border patrol duty is moving forward, with an invitation to bid from Armscor being published this week.

Tender ELWS/2024/71, released on 23 July, calls for personnel carrier vehicles for border patrol, to be utilised for internal and external missions of the SA Army. Nearly 500 vehicles are to be acquired, in three variants: 210 Section variants, 144 Command variants, and 108 Ambulance variants.

Armscor aims to acquire off-the-shelf vehicles as far as possible, with modifications adapted to local conditions and with minor development of elements that are unique to the SA Army's requirements.

A bidders' conference is scheduled for 31 July at Armscor, while bidding closes on 23 August, with deliveries expected on or before 15 March 2025.

In the tender document, Armscor states that the personnel carriers must have a payload of at least 1.5 tons must not have a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of more than 13.5 tons. They must be air transportable in Ilyushin Il-76 or Airbus A400M aircraft and also be able to be carried on ships and flatbed rail containers.

Minimum protection levels are against kinetic threats up to STANAG 4569 Level 1 (small calibre 7.62x51 mm rounds). A fire suppression capability must be incorporated, and run-flat tyres must be fitted along with central tyre inflation systems (CTIS).

The vehicles need to be in 4x4 configuration and have a minimum road range of 600 km, a top speed greater than 100 km/h on hard surfaces, a cruising speed of 80 km/h, and average speed of 30 km/h on cross country routes. They need to be powered by diesel engines coupled to automatic gearboxes and able to operate in -11 to +50 degrees Celsius conditions.

Other technical requirements include a self-recovery winch, tow hitch, air conditioning system, roof hatches, 150 litres of drinking water, exterior lighting, ring mount for weapons, and fitment for but not with a weapon station up to 450 kg on the roof.

The Section variant must accommodate a driver plus section of ten crew. The Command variant will need to have HF, VHF and ground-to-air radios installed as well as a more robust auxiliary power supply system. The Ambulance variant is also required to have HF and VHF radios and be able to accommodate a driver and medic. A bench, stretcher and medical equipment (defibrillator, suction unit, oxygen cylinders etc.) will need to be installed in the medical compartment, which must measure at least 1.6 metres high and 1.7 metres wide.

Armscor specified that spares need to be available for all variants for at least ten years, and a warranty of at least 100 000 km or two years must be provided. Maintenance plan quotes for 2, 4, 6 and 10 years must be provided, and the manufacturer must have at least one service centre with mobile fleet support located anywhere in South Africa.

Testing will include factory, field, cruising speed, mountain pass, crawling and drop testing as well as vibration and landmine testing.

The new APCs will replace the troop pack vehicles previously acquired for border patrol - over 400 Toyota Land Cruisers were originally bought for this purpose. National Treasury has allocated R500 million in 2024/25 for the procurement of vehicles to replace the troop packs.

Armscor was originally supposed to place the procurement contract from 1 April 2024, but this has been delayed. In January 2023, Armscor issued a Request for Information (SA Army/R/403/6) for a 2+8 seat APC capable of counterinsurgency operations with variable ballistic and mine protection able to defeat an 8 kg mine.

Sixteen local defence companies were invited to respond, with eight doing so. The intention was to evaluate the different vehicles along the South African borderline in operational conditions in October/November and afterwards demonstrate the vehicles during the SA Army's Exercise Vuk'uhlome in November 2023.

However, this was postponed as Armscor revised specifications, reducing the combat weight specification as the original user requirement was mostly taken from that of the Badger infantry fighting vehicle for the SA Army, and this was not practical for the vehicles required for border patrol.

Editorial contact
Stephens Ledwaba
Communication Specialist
ARMSCOR
Tel: +27 12 428 3526
Mobile: +27 73 605 4457
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.armscor.co.za