OMC Rooikat 75

The Rooikat armored car was named after the African Caracal, seen as fast and nimble. It is unique to the South African Defence Force and later, SANDF. It was domestically designed during the international embargo linked to the Apartheid, in the late Cold War. The context was the steep rise in liberation movements backed by Eastern Bloc communist countries such as Cuba and the Soviet Union. Relying heavily during the border war on the Eland 90 armored car (derived from the French Panhard AML 90), SADF realized a better suited vehicle, more powerful and better armed was needed. A suited vehicle for long range engagement on this theater of operation dictated rapidly an six or eight-wheeled vehicle, starting in 1974 by Armscor as the program was approved. Prototypes were tested in 1978-79 with a naval 76 mm main gun and ex-Comet British 77 mm Mk2 gun. The program was restarted in 1982 by Sandock Austral and the final prototype Rooikat 76 Class 2B selected for production at Sandrock Brakpan in 1986-87. The first unit equipped was the 1 Special Service Battalion (1SSB) in mid-August 1989. Since then, 242 vehicles has been delivered as AFVs, but as of today, 84 in regular army service, and 94 in reserve squadrons and storage.

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