Country catalog

South Africa Weapons and Military Equipment

Browse 9 weapon systems built or assembled in South Africa, including armored vehicles, artillery, and related systems, with images, specifications, source notes, and conflict records.

9 weapon systems

9Catalog records

3Equipment categories

8Leading builders shown

8Conflict links shown

Category Mix

Armored Vehicles5 Artillery2 Munitions2

Builder Links

Reumech OMC3 Denel Land Systems2 Rheinmetall Denel Munition2 Alvis1 ARMSCOR1 Integrated Convoy Protection1 Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau1 King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau1

Conflict Coverage

2014 Yemen Civil War41966 South African Border War32014 Russia-Ukraine War21980 Iran-Iraq War11983 Sri Lankan Civil War11990 Gulf War12003 Iraq War12009 Boko Haram Insurgency1

RG-31 Nyala, 4x4 mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle, Armored Vehicles

2014 Russia-Ukraine WarRG-31 Nyala4x4 mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicleBuilt by: Reumech OMCThe RG-31 Nyala is a South African 4x4 mine-protected armored vehicle family built around a V-shaped steel hull for patrol, troop transport, command, utility, EOD, and ambulance roles. In the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, open sources document Spain supplying Ukraine with a single RG-31 armored ambulance for casualty evacuation and protected medical movement.

Mamba Mk2, 4x4 mine-resistant armored personnel carrier, Armored Vehicles

2014 Russia-Ukraine WarMamba Mk24x4 mine-resistant armored personnel carrierBuilt by: Reumech OMC / AlvisThe Mamba Mk2 is a South African 4x4 mine-resistant armored personnel carrier built around a V-shaped welded steel hull and Unimog-derived driveline. The entry also covers the closely related Alvis 4 license-built strand because Ukraine's documented examples came from former Estonian Alvis 4/Mamba stocks transferred after Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion.

Buffel, Mine-protected armored personnel carrier, Armored Vehicles

1966 South African Border War, 1983 Sri Lankan Civil WarBuffelMine-protected armored personnel carrierBuilt by: ARMSCORThe Buffel is a South African 4x4 mine-protected armored personnel carrier built around a Unimog chassis, a V-shaped blast-deflecting hull, and an open or enclosed troop compartment. South African forces used Buffels for protected mobility in the Border War, while Sri Lanka imported the lineage and built Unicorn and Unibuffel derivatives for troop movement during the civil war against the LTTE.

REVA armored vehicle, Mine-resistant ambush-protected armored personnel carrier, Armored Vehicles

2003 Iraq War, 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency +2 moreREVA armored vehicleMine-resistant ambush-protected armored personnel carrierBuilt by: Integrated Convoy ProtectionThe REVA is a South African mine-resistant armored vehicle family from Integrated Convoy Protection, built around a V-shaped armored hull for troop transport, protected mobility, and utility roles. The family spans the earlier REVA III 4x4 APC, newer REVA V and VI designs, and the UAE-linked Kasser II derivative, while conflict reporting documents REVA vehicles in Iraq, Nigerian counter-insurgency operations, and UAE-backed local-force operations in Yemen.

Ratel BAU-23x2, Wheeled armored vehicle with BAU-23x2 twin-23 mm weapon station, Armored Vehicles

2014 Yemen Civil War, 2017 Cabo Delgado InsurgencyRatel BAU-23x2Wheeled armored vehicle with BAU-23x2 twin-23 mm weapon stationBuilt by: Sandock-Austral / Reumech OMC / Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau / King Abdullah II Design and Development BureauThe Ratel BAU-23x2 combines the South African Ratel 6x6 armored vehicle with a Ukrainian BAU-23x2 weapon station carrying twin 23 mm autocannon. Jordanian-modified Ratels were photographed and cataloged in Yemen, while Rwandan Ratels with the same weapon station were reported in Cabo Delgado counterinsurgency operations.

G5 155 mm howitzer, 155 mm towed gun-howitzer, Artillery

1966 South African Border War, 1980 Iran-Iraq War +2 moreG5 155 mm howitzer155 mm towed gun-howitzerBuilt by: Denel Land SystemsThe G5 155 mm howitzer is a South African towed gun-howitzer developed from the GC-45 long-range artillery lineage for mobile indirect fire. Lyttelton Engineering Works designed the system and Denel Land Systems became the normalized manufacturer, with sources documenting South African Border War service, Iraqi G5 use in the Iran-Iraq War and Gulf War, and UAE G5 deployment to Yemen.

G6 Rhino 155 mm self-propelled howitzer, 155 mm wheeled self-propelled gun-howitzer, Artillery

1966 South African Border War, 2014 Yemen Civil WarG6 Rhino 155 mm self-propelled howitzer155 mm wheeled self-propelled gun-howitzerBuilt by: Denel Land SystemsThe G6 Rhino is a South African 155 mm wheeled self-propelled gun-howitzer related to the G5 artillery family. Public sources identify Denel with the turret, OMC with the hull, and Lyttelton Engineering Works/Denel lineage with the system's development and production background, while conflict-use reporting places South African pre-production G6s in Angola in 1987 and UAE G6 howitzers in Yemen in 2015. Later G6-52 work paired the G6 concept with 52-caliber ordnance, automated ammunition handling, and longer-range V-LAP ammunition.

M92 Assegai tactical modular charge, 155 mm artillery propelling-charge system, Munitions

M92 Assegai tactical modular charge155 mm artillery propelling-charge systemBuilt by: Rheinmetall Denel MunitionThe M92 Assegai tactical modular charge is Rheinmetall Denel Munition's modular propelling-charge component for 155 mm Assegai artillery ammunition. Rheinmetall describes the charge as tuned to customer gun and projectile combinations, ordered alongside Assegai Base Bleed and V-LAP shells, and intended to simplify artillery logistics while reducing barrel wear and muzzle flash.

M2005 V-LAP 155 mm shell, 155 mm rocket-assisted base-bleed shell, Munitions

M2005 V-LAP 155 mm shell155 mm rocket-assisted base-bleed shellBuilt by: Rheinmetall Denel MunitionThe M2005 V-LAP is Rheinmetall Denel Munition's South African 155 mm Velocity Enhanced Long Range Artillery Projectile. Rheinmetall places it in the Assegai family and says the round combines rocket assist with base-bleed range extension, high fragmentation effect, and compatibility with NATO-standard 155 mm firing systems.