Rooikat

Infobox Weapon
name=Rooikat


caption=Rooikat 105 - rear
origin=flagcountry|South Africa
type=Armoured fighting vehicle
design_date= 1976
production_date= 1983 - Present
is_vehicle=yes
crew=4
length= 7.1 m (23.29 ft)
8.2 m (26.9) with gun forward
width= 2.9 m (9.51 ft)
height= 2.8 m (9.19 ft)
weight= 28 t
armour=
primary_armament= GT4 76 mm/62 anti-tank gun (48 rounds)
secondary_armament= 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns (3600 rounds); 8 x 81 mm smoke grenade dischargers
engine= 10 cylinder water-cooled diesel
engine_power= 414 KW (563 HP)
suspension=8×8 wheeled
speed= Road 120 km/h (75 mph)
Off-road 50 km/h (31 mph)
pw_ratio=
vehicle_range= 1000 km (621 mi)

The Rooikat (Afrikaans for 'Caracal') is a wheeled armored fighting vehicle built in South Africa for the South African Army. It was designed for combat reconnaissance and seek and destroy operations. Its secondary roles include combat support, anti-armour and anti-guerrilla operations. The Rooikat was used for deep penetration missions across the border, and the wheeled design was needed for speed and to counter sandy desert conditions that might slow tanks and tracked vehicles.

Production history

Designed to replace the Eland the Rooikat came too late for the war in Angola. It was designed to incorporate lessons learned from the bush war.Fact|date=December 2007

Variants

* Rooikat 76
* Rooikat 105 - GT7 105 mm anti-tank gun

Operators

:flagicon|South Africa South African National Defence Force

External links

* [http://www.baesystems.com/ProductsServices/bae_prod_landa_rooikat.html Manufacturer's website] (Accessed 28 July 2008)