Badgers to get Sagem’s MATIS thermal imagers

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Denel Land Systems has awarded French company Sagem a contract to supply its MATIS thermal imagers on the Badger infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) for the South African Army.

The company will supply three types of infrared imagers to equip different versions of the Badger. The imagers will be produced at the Sagem plant in Poitiers, France, but as part of the industrial participation programme in South Africa, Sagem has partnered with South African company Afrimeasure to do the final integration, along with testing and through-life maintenance.

Sagem said the MATIS range can be used to carry out observation, reconnaissance, identification and engagement missions to a range of several kilometres. The Sagem MATIS imager is easy to integrate in turret-mounted weapon systems and has high performance proven during field testing, according to Sagem.

Sagem has produced more than 6 000 MATIS thermal imagers for major weapon systems in France and international markets. The MATIS SP is a compact, lightweight system suitable for integration into compact sights and small to medium calibre weapons stations for land and naval applications while the MATIS STD is a multipurpose cooled thermal camera for vehicle sights and observation systems. The MATIS LR is a high-end cooled thermal imager with dual field-of-view optics. It is designed to survive severe firing shocks and have long identification ranges.

The South African Army will receive the first of 238 Badger infantry combat vehicles in 2016. The new vehicles will replace the 30-year-old Ratel in all its variants over a ten year period. Serial production will start within the coming 24 months, according to Denel. At the moment the vehicle is undergoing operational testing and evaluation.

The vehicle’s platform is based on a design from Finnish company Patria, which was modified by Denel Land Systems to meet local user requirements including landmine protection, manoeuvrability and firepower.

The initial 16 vehicles will be manufactured in Finland after which the entire production process will be migrated to South Africa. During this second stage 70% of the vehicle will be produced in South Africa. Some of the other suppliers in the programme include Saab, which is supplies a data network and operator displays as well as a digital video system with cameras. The sub-systems will be locally supported in South Africa.

The Badger has been developed in five variants, namely Command, Section, Mortar, Missile and Fire Support derivatives. The main weapon system, used on the Section and Fire Support Variants, is the 30 mm externally-driven cam-operated cannon.

For the Mortar Variant, a 60 mm breech-loading long-range mortar was developed by DLS, along with 60 mm long-range NATO ammunition while the Ingwe anti-tank missile system, developed by Denel Dynamics, is used on the Missile Variant.Denel Land Systems has awarded French company Sagem a contract to supply its MATIS thermal imagers on the Badger infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) for the South African Army.

The company will supply three types of infrared imagers to equip different versions of the Badger. The imagers will be produced at the Sagem plant in Poitiers, France, but as part of the industrial participation programme in South Africa, Sagem has partnered with South African company Afrimeasure to do the final integration, along with testing and through-life maintenance.

Sagem said the MATIS range can be used to carry out observation, reconnaissance, identification and engagement missions to a range of several kilometres. The Sagem MATIS imager is easy to integrate in turret-mounted weapon systems and has high performance proven during field testing, according to Sagem.

Sagem has produced more than 6 000 MATIS thermal imagers for major weapon systems in France and international markets. The MATIS SP is a compact, lightweight system suitable for integration into compact sights and small to medium calibre weapons stations for land and naval applications while the MATIS STD is a multipurpose cooled thermal camera for vehicle sights and observation systems. The MATIS LR is a high-end cooled thermal imager with dual field-of-view optics. It is designed to survive severe firing shocks and have long identification ranges.

The South African Army will receive the first of 238 Badger infantry combat vehicles in 2016. The new vehicles will replace the 30-year-old Ratel in all its variants over a ten year period. Serial production will start within the coming 24 months, according to Denel. At the moment the vehicle is undergoing operational testing and evaluation.

The vehicle’s platform is based on a design from Finnish company Patria, which was modified by Denel Land Systems to meet local user requirements including landmine protection, manoeuvrability and firepower.

The initial 16 vehicles will be manufactured in Finland after which the entire production process will be migrated to South Africa. During this second stage 70% of the vehicle will be produced in South Africa. Some of the other suppliers in the programme include Saab, which is supplies a data network and operator displays as well as a digital video system with cameras. The sub-systems will be locally supported in South Africa.

The Badger has been developed in five variants, namely Command, Section, Mortar, Missile and Fire Support derivatives. The main weapon system, used on the Section and Fire Support Variants, is the 30 mm externally-driven cam-operated cannon.

For the Mortar Variant, a 60 mm breech-loading long-range mortar was developed by DLS, along with 60 mm long-range NATO ammunition while the Ingwe anti-tank missile system, developed by Denel Dynamics, is used on the Missile Variant.