Denel Olifant ARV
Notes:
This is an Armored Recovery Vehicle variant of the Olifant 1 main battle
tank. These were conversions of
existing Olifant tanks and were done only for the SANDF, with no exports being
sought or done. 16 Olifant ARVs were built in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
They are primarily meant to service Olifant tanks, but are also used to
recover other vehicles.
In this role, the turret is removed and replaced with a raised
superstructure. A crane with a capacity of 10 tons is mounted on the left side
of the raised superstructure; it has a traverse of 270 degrees.
An extendible boom crane reaches over the entire vehicle, with a capacity
of 30 tons. The front has a dozer blade for bracing, and can also be used for
obstacle-clearing. The
internally-mounted main winch can be led out the front or the rear and has a
capacity of 60 tons (115 tons with block and tackle) and 80 meters of cable.
The Olifant ARV is equipped with tools for tank repair including basic
tools, tracked vehicle tools, small arms tools, heavy ordinance tools, and an
arc welder. There are also three hand-held WL spotlights. There also scads of
spare parts both inside and attached to the outside of the vehicle, or in
exterior lockers. Larger tools are also carried inside these lockers. There are
two cupolas on the roof and there are four sets of four-barreled smoke grenade
launchers, one on each corner of the superstructure.
There is a flat area on the rear of the superstructure, which is able to
carry up to a complete Olifant powerpack.
During the
conversion, Olifant 1A fuel tanks were put into the vehicle.
The engine is a Teledyne AVDS-1790-2A 12-cylinder 750-horsepower diesel
integrated powerpack with a semiautomatic transmission.
All electrical systems were also upgraded, and the ARV received a small
computer to assist the mechanics with information about the SANDF's vehicles.
The driver's
seat is raised further up, as the roofline of the superstructure is also raised.
The commander has a cupola with all-around vision and a night vision
channel; this position is unarmed. One of the mechanics acts as gunner with a
weapon on a pintle mount; this is usually a double weapon.
He has a cupola. One mechanic rides in the center of the hull; he usually
mans the radios when traveling. The Olifant ARV has a 90-liter insulated
drinking water tank. The night
vision suite is somewhat improved.
At least one ARV
based on the Olifant 1A was built for trials.
It uses the armor suite of the Olifant 1A, and the roof and floor armor
of the Olifant 1B. It adds a long-range radio, which is data-capable. As of
2016, no more have been built, though it remains in trials, awaiting the money
to replace or upgrade earlier versions of the Olifant ARV. For other game
purposes, the Olifant 1A ARV is the same as the Olifant 1 ARV.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
Olifant 1 ARV |
$298,403 |
D, A |
5.05 tons |
57.5 tons |
4 |
29 |
Passive IR (D), Image Intensification (G, C)*** |
Shielded |
Olifant 1A ARV |
$344,897 |
D, A |
5.33 tons |
57.5 tons |
4 |
31 |
Passive IR (D), Image Intensification (G, C)*** |
Shielded |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor* |
Olifant 1 ARV |
115/81 |
32/22 |
1240 |
278 |
Stnd |
T6 |
HF60 HS13 HR8** |
Olifant 1A ARV |
115/81 |
32/22 |
1240 |
278 |
Stnd |
T6 |
HF64Sp HS14
HR10** |
Vehicle |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
Olifant 1/1A ARV |
None |
None |
2xSS-77 or 2xM-2HB or SS-77 and M-2HB |
5000x7.62mm or 1500x.50 or 2500x7.62mm and 750x.50 |
*Depending how high the dozer blade is raised, the blade may act as armor for
the part of front end. The blade
has an AV of 5Sp.
**The floor armor for the Olifant floor is 8Sp.
***The commander and gunner have hand-held Image Intensifiers; they are not
mounted in the vehicle, though they may be mounted on the cupola or the gun
shield of the gunner’s position.