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, and open-source reporting identified Ratel BAU-23x2 vehicles with pro-government forces in Marib during the Yemen Civil War.

Conflict side
Yemeni government and coalition forces
Built by
Sandock-AustralReumech OMC hull; Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau BAU-23x2 module; Jordanian KADDB integration reported
Built in
South AfricaUkraineJordan
Ratel BAU-23x2, Wheeled armored vehicle with BAU-23x2 twin-23 mm weapon station, Armored Vehicles

Service History

In service
Yemeni service documented before the 2014-2015 Houthi takeover and with pro-PLC forces in 2022
Used by
Yemeni government-aligned forces, Royal Jordanian Army
Wars
Yemen Civil War

Production History

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
Built by
Sandock-AustralReumech OMC hull; Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau BAU-23x2 module; Jordanian KADDB integration reported
Built in
South AfricaUkraineJordan
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
Variants
Ratel BAU-23x2 'KADDB', BAU-23 / BAU-23-2 / BM-23-2 weapon station

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

Conflict Usage

Yemen Civil War
Side: Yemeni government and coalition forcesRole: Armored fire support with twin 23 mm autocannonprotected mobilityair defensestrike

Pro-Presidential Leadership Council forces fielded Ratel BAU-23x2 armored vehicles at a September 2022 military parade in Marib; Oryx separately lists the Ratel BAU-23x2 'KADDB' in Yemen's pre-war army vehicle inventory.

Ratel BAU-23x2 Images

Related Weapon Systems

Sources