Armored Vehicles

Ratel BAU-23x2

The 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.

Ratel BAU-23x2, Wheeled armored vehicle with BAU-23x2 twin-23 mm weapon station, Armored Vehicles
Image source: BAU-23 Overhead Weapon Station

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
South Africa / Ukraine / Jordan
Type
Wheeled armored vehicle with BAU-23x2 twin-23 mm weapon station
Service note
Jordanian modernization and Yemeni service documented before and during the 2014 Yemen Civil War
Designer
Springfield-Bussing hull design; Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau weapon station
Designed
Ratel designed in the 1970s; BAU-23 developed from the mid-1990s
Unit cost
Not publicly established
Produced
Ratel production 1976-1987; BAU-23 mass production reported from 2001
Number built
Limited conversion; exact Ratel BAU-23x2 total not publicly established

Specifications

Armament
BAU-23x2 module with two 23 mm 2A7 or 2A7M autocannon, one KT-7.62 coaxial machine gun, and smoke grenade launchers
Autocannon range
About 2,000 m effective range
Machine gun range
About 1,500 m effective range
Rate of fire
850 rounds per minute listed for the 23 mm guns
Ammunition
400 rounds for the autocannon and 2,000 rounds for the machine gun listed for the BAU-23
Module weight
About 1.09 t with ammunition
Mobility
Ratel 6x6 wheeled armored vehicle hull
Variants

This entry covers Ratel vehicles fitted with the Ukrainian BAU-23x2 weapon-station family, including Jordan/KADDB-labeled examples and related BAU-23, BAU-23-2, and BM-23-2 designation usage.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Ratel BAU-23x2 'KADDB'Jordan/KADDB-labeled Ratel conversion

Oryx lists this exact designation in Yemen's pre-war infantry fighting vehicle inventory, while the Jordan defence-integrity source gives KADDB and Paramount Ratel-to-Yemen context.

Sources: Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting Vehicles, Jordan, 2015 Government Defence Integrity Index

BAU-23 / BAU-23-2 / BM-23-2Weapon-station designation family

Ukrainian Military Pages identifies BAU-23, BAU-23-2, and BM-23-2 naming for the Kharkiv Morozov weapon station and describes BM-23-2 as an upgraded BAU-23-2 model.

Sources: BAU-23 Overhead Weapon Station

Timeline

Ratel BAU-23x2 Key Events

  1. Oryx catalogs Yemeni Ratel BAU-23x2

    Oryx listed Ratel BAU-23x2 'KADDB' vehicles among Yemen's pre-war infantry fighting vehicles, giving a public inventory baseline for the Yemeni conflict row.

    Sources: Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting Vehicles

  2. Military Africa reports Rwandan Cabo Delgado use

    Military Africa reported Rwandan forces in Mozambique employing Ratel-mounted BAU-23x2 remote weapon stations against Islamic State-linked insurgents.

    Sources: Cabo Delgado Rwandan Ratel BAU-23X2 RCWS

  3. Marib parade imagery identifies pro-government Ratels

    Open-source vehicle identification from a Marib military parade tied Ratel BAU-23x2 vehicles to pro-Presidential Leadership Council forces in Yemen.

    Sources: Pro-PLC Marib Military Parade Vehicle Identification Thread

  4. Defense Express documents Rwandan Ratel imagery

    Defense Express reviewed imagery and background linking Ukrainian BAU-23x2 weapon stations to South African Ratel hulls in Rwandan service.

    Sources: How Ukrainian BAU-23x2 RCWS Ended Up on South African Ratel IFV in Rwanda

Media

Ratel BAU-23x2 Videos

Ratel BAU-23x2 Images

Ratel BAU-23x2, Wheeled armored vehicle with BAU-23x2 twin-23 mm weapon station, Armored Vehicles - view 1
Source: Iraqi BTR-94 APC Image
Ratel BAU-23x2, Wheeled armored vehicle with BAU-23x2 twin-23 mm weapon station, Armored Vehicles - view 2
Source: BAU-23 Overhead Weapon Station
Ratel BAU-23x2, Wheeled armored vehicle with BAU-23x2 twin-23 mm weapon station, Armored Vehicles - view 3
Source: South African-made 6x6 Ratel IFV at the Royal Tank Museum
Related Weapon Systems
2A14 23 mm cannon, 23 mm gas-operated autocannon, Air DefenseAir Defense2A14 23 mm cannon23 mm gas-operated autocannonThe 2A14 is the air-cooled 23 x 152B mm autocannon at the core of ZU-23 and ZU-23-2 short-range air-defense guns, with a quick-change barrel and a belt-feed layout that can be arranged from either side. Public conflict evidence most often documents it through the mounts that carry it: ZU-23-2 guns in Ukrainian service, SPLA-N air-defense fire in South Kordofan, Armenian and Artsakh losses in Nagorno-Karabakh, Houthi firing around Hudaydah, Tigray Defence Forces heavy weapons, and 2A14-pattern or ZU-23-2-pattern weapons with rebel forces in northern Mali.
Ratel S, Uncrewed ground vehicle / remote-mining and explosive-delivery robot, Support EquipmentSupport EquipmentRatel SUncrewed ground vehicle / remote-mining and explosive-delivery robotRatel S is a Ukrainian uncrewed ground vehicle built for remote mining, explosive delivery, observation, and short-range ground attack missions. Developed in Ukraine's wartime robotics ecosystem and publicized through the Brave1 defense-tech cluster, it gives Ukrainian operators a small wheeled platform that can move an explosive or mine payload toward Russian positions while reducing direct exposure; Ukrainian reporting has tied it to bridge, position, and underground-passage attacks in Donetsk Oblast.
ZU-23-2, Towed twin 23 mm anti-aircraft autocannon, Air DefenseAir DefenseZU-23-2Towed twin 23 mm anti-aircraft autocannonThe ZU-23-2 is a Soviet twin 23 mm towed anti-aircraft autocannon built around two 2A14 guns on a light carriage. Its manual sighting, rapid emplacement, and high volume of fire make it a close-range air-defense weapon against low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and drones, while many operators also use it for direct fire against light vehicles and infantry positions. Ukrainian forces have used ZU-23-2 guns in mobile and positional air-defense teams during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, Armenian-side losses in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting included towed and vehicle-mounted ZU-23 guns, and conflict monitors documented ZU-23 or ZU-23-2-pattern use in Yemen, Tigray, and northern Mali.
20mm GIAT M693 autocannon, French 20 mm autocannon chambered for 20x139mm NATO rounds, Infantry WeaponsInfantry Weapons20mm GIAT M693 autocannonFrench 20 mm autocannon chambered for 20x139mm NATO roundsThe GIAT M693 is a French 20 mm autocannon family developed for armored-vehicle, anti-aircraft, and naval mount applications. Specialist references trace the gun to the earlier M621 mechanism but a larger 20x139 mm NATO cartridge, dual-belt feed, and about 900 rounds per minute. The catalog keeps it as a relationship-only component page because public sources most clearly document the M693 through host platforms and derivatives: AMX-10P vehicles, naval 20F2 mounts, Narwhal 20B turrets, and the South African GI2 production variant.
REVA armored vehicle, Mine-resistant ambush-protected armored personnel carrier, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesREVA armored vehicleMine-resistant ambush-protected armored personnel carrierThe 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.

Sources

BAU-23 Overhead Weapon StationPublisher: Ukrainian Military Pages | Note: Supports BAU-23 manufacturer, development, specifications, and CC BY 4.0 image provenance for BAU-23 media. | Accessed: 2026-07-01How Ukrainian BAU-23x2 RCWS Ended Up on South African Ratel IFV in RwandaPublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports BAU-23x2 background, KMDB development, Ratel integration context, and the limited-export history of the weapon station. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting VehiclesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War context: Ratel BAU-23x2 'KADDB' was used by the Yemeni Army inventory available to Yemeni parties on the battlefield. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Pro-PLC Marib Military Parade Vehicle Identification ThreadPublisher: Rattibha mirror of Joshua Koontz open-source thread | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct fielding: Ratel BAU-23x2 armored vehicles were fielded by Pro-PLC forces at a Marib military parade. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Jordan, 2015 Government Defence Integrity IndexPublisher: Transparency International Defence & Security | Note: Supports background that Ratel infantry vehicles produced with Jordanian KADDB involvement appeared in Yemen. | Accessed: 2026-07-01South African-made 6x6 Ratel IFV at the Royal Tank MuseumPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the Jordanian Ratel hull image under CC BY-SA 4.0; image shows a Jordanian Ratel-20, not the BAU-23x2 turret variant. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Iraqi BTR-94 APC ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports public-domain provenance for the BTR-94 gallery image; the image shows a BAU-23x2 armed BTR-94 rather than the Ratel integration. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Techimpex BM-23-2 Product PagePublisher: Techimpex | Note: Supports BM-23-2 combat-module specifications and the relevance of the selected BM-23-2 video candidate. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Cabo Delgado Rwandan Ratel BAU-23X2 RCWSPublisher: Military Africa | Note: Supports 2017 Cabo Delgado Insurgency direct fielding: Rwandan forces in Mozambique employed Ratel-mounted BAU-23x2 remote weapon stations against Islamic State-linked insurgents. | Accessed: 2026-07-01