NewStats: 3,265,246 , 8,186,120 topics. Date: Saturday, 14 June 2025 at 04:52 AM 5m3z4q

French helicopter carrier Dixmude arrived yesterday in Lagos to take part in a t exercise with the Nigerian Navy

Nigerian Air Force T-129 ATAK

SA Special Forces at Exercise Vukuhlome 2024

...2/...

...3/...

...last.

Lurker4Long:
SA Special Forces at Exercise Vukuhlome 2024

Pic 1 almost seems to be shot every time of this exercise. I could argue I saw it last year

Lurker4Long:
...last.

Why are they cramped up?

Odunayaw:
Pic 1 almost seems to be shot every time of this exercise. I could argue I saw it last year Why are they cramped up?

Many other pics I discard cos they're the same as previous years. Included this one cos it's rare to see SF using their CASSPIRs.

The cramping up is because this was a show for dignitaries, so they have to accommodate the spectators, TV cameras and photographers.

More Exercise Vukuhlome 2024...

2...

last.

Lurker4Long:
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!

OkpaNsukkaisBae:


Seconded.
Kudos to South Africa.

Unless they have a secret weapon/strategy to end the war come soon they might be up sh1t creek. Donald is appointing radically pro-Israel officials to that region who see Palestinians as dirty terrorist or just don’t acknowledge there existence and has already told Israel in the past to “finish the job”.

Will see though; but the odds are even less in there favor than ever.

I don't think I've seen this many Bateleur FV2 MRLs firing rockets in one picture.

Lurker4Long:
SA Special Forces at Exercise Vukuhlome 2024

Is that the new Beretta ARX-160?... and what's up with the cammo patterns? They don't look like the new uniform.

GreenandGold:


Is that the new Beretta ARX-160?... and what's up with the cammo patterns? They don't look like the new uniform.

It's the SF's new CZ Bren 2 assault rifle. Go to any of the mil pages and see the kvetching from all the non-SF people over having to stick with the old R4/5s!

The new cammo has been introduced for units on deployment, first.

GreenandGold:
I don't think I've seen this many Bateleur FV2 MRLs firing rockets in one picture.

The number of rockets they've been firing lately leads me to believe they were close to expiry date.

Jorsin launches new Tau 4×4 armoured personnel carrier

At a glance what appears to be a 4×4 version of the famous Ratel infantry combat vehicle is in fact Jorsin’s new Tau armoured personnel carrier (APC), which made its first public appearance at the recent Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) exhibition.

The prototype was completed just in time to take part in late September’s AAD 2024 at Air Force Base Waterkloof in Pretoria. The Tau can accommodate up to thirteen crew (ten in the rear crew compartment plus a driver, a commander and a gunner in an optional turret). A horizontal double rear door functions as a flip-up/drop-down ramp, facilitating easy entry and exit. Roof-mounted hatches provide alternative access points, while side-mounted armoured glass windows with integrated shooting ports offer good visibility.

As with the Ratel, the driver is positioned in the centre of the vehicle, avoiding the need to offer the vehicle in left or right hand drive configurations. “This placement offers full frontal visibility through armoured glass, significantly enhancing offroad manoeuvrability. A dedicated hatch provides the driver with easy access to the vehicle,” Jorsin explained.

The vehicle is powered by a Cummins 157 kW (210 hp) turbocharged and intercooled diesel engine driving an Allison six-speed automatic transmission through a Meritor two-speed transfer gearbox, giving a maximum speed of 115 km/h and range of 800 km plus. A Meritor fully independent suspension provides enhanced off-road mobility and “superb” on-road stability, eliminating the wobble the Ratel is known for. The ground clearance of 600 mm in front and 570 mm below belly of vehicle are class leading parameters, Jorsin’s Johan Lamprecht told defenceWeb.

The power pack has designed to be modular and easily replaced – it is fitted to a frame that can be rolled in and out, allowing the engine to be changed in 30 to 60 minutes – quick connect fuel and hydraulics lines facilitate the process. A collapsible rail/frame, carried with each vehicle, can be assembled in minutes and the complete powerpack can be rolled out to the side of the vehicle: no crane is required to access or change the powerpack.

The 9 500 kg vehicle makes use of a monocoque hull manufactured from 8 mm armoured steel to provide ballistic protection to NATO STANAG Level II (stopping up to 7.62×39 mm armour piercing rounds). A turret weighing 1 500 kg can be fitted to the vehicle – at AAD 2024, the Tau was displayed with a 20 mm Ratel cannon turret, weighing 1 160 kg, but other turret options can be fitted. Tau can accommodate a full size Ratel turret basket, as opposed to the trend of basket free overhead weapons. This is important in the African context where a variety of Russian-made turrets, with an assortment of weaponry, are available, mostly mounted on immobile vehicles due to lack of spares or maintenance, Lamprecht said.

Jorsin shared with defenceWeb that development of the Tau started last year, with a design philosophy of simplicity and reliability, as the vehicle is aimed at the African market. The APC has no complex electronics to ensure fewer points of failure, for example.

Jorsin is aiming the Tau at countries that want a vehicle similar to the Ratel but more modern (the Tau uses some components from the Ratel, such as the turret, seats, shooting ports etc.). While the vehicle does not yet have a launch customer, there is interest from potential clients in Africa who are looking for a vehicle similar to the Ratel.

Jorsin has decades of experience maintaining Ratel and other armoured vehicles, having for example been awarded multiple contracts from the South African Army for Ratel maintenance and repair.

...more.

Lurker4Long:
Jorsin launches new Tau 4×4 armoured personnel carrier

I apologise for being rude to the Igirigi, this is the ugliest APC I've seen.

GreenandGold:


I apologise for being rude to the Igirigi, this is the ugliest APC I've seen.

Nigerian and French Naval forces conclude annual t training exercises.

GreenandGold:


I apologise for being rude to the Igirigi, this is the ugliest APC I've seen.

I nearly convulsed in horror

GreenandGold:


I apologise for being rude to the Igirigi, this is the ugliest APC I've seen.

Odunayaw:
I nearly convulsed in horror

It wouldn't be South African if it were pretty!

Lurker4Long:




It wouldn't be South African if it were pretty!

I thought Paramount Group had broken the curse 😅

GreenandGold:


I thought Paramount Group had broken the curse 😅

To paraphrase that arsehole Stalin, ugliness has a beauty all its own!

kenyan police use modified caterpillar as a tank in haiti

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYPnoTU5ON8

Ethiopia turns APC into self-propelled artillery

Making best use of available equipment appears to be the thinking behind modifications turning Ethiopian Federal Defence Forces (FDF) armoured personnel carriers (APCs) into self-propelled artillery pieces.

Janes reports that some Chinese WZ551 APCs in service with the East African country’s military now carry 122 mm D-30 howitzers. An FDF photo released on 7 August shows the artillery pieces fitted to five vehicles, allowing operation by gunners standing in the troop compartment with a shield providing limited frontal protection.

It is unclear if the APCs have been fitted with adjustable stabilisers to prevent suspension damage by recoil, the publication reports.

Ethiopia is believed to have about 20 WZ551s in service and at least 450 D-30 guns as well as two dozen M-46 130 mm towed guns. It has apparently mounted D-30 guns on T-55 tank chassis in previous efforts to create self-propelled artillery, although this cannot be confirmed.

Recent photographs also appear to show a howitzer mounted on a military truck.

Ethiopia is apparently also working on a rapidly deployable 120 mm mortar as seen in a photograph released by the FDF in August. Fitted on the load bed of a pickup truck, it appears to be a standard 2B11-pattern mortar with base plate attached to a pneumatic system to lower it from the vehicle bed to the ground so it can be fired, Janes reported.

The FDF released the modified APC photograph during a visit by senior officers to the Ethiopian Defence University in Bishoftu, which it said is working on upgrading weapons.

Another photo showed 122 mm BM21 multiple rocket launcher systems fitted onto six Toyota Land Cruisers. The vehicles were fitted with four stabilisers to keep them steady when firing. Ethiopia previously acquired multiple truck-mounted BM21 systems.

Ethiopia has been acquiring significant quantities of military hardware in recent years, with the most recent documented arrival being dozens of Calidus MCAV-20 vehicles from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI’s) Arms Transfers database, in recent years Ethiopia acquired five Despot armoured vehicles from Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2022, 32 SH-5 155 mm self-propelled guns from China in 2022, four Bayraktar TB-2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Turkey in 2021, and two Wing Loong-1 UAVs that same year.

China also delivered ten Type-89 APCs in 2013; four PHL-03 300 mm self-propelled multiple rocket launchers (MRLs) in 2019, and ten BP-12A surface-to-surface missile systems in 2020.

In January this year, the Ethiopian Air Force revealed it had received Bayraktar Akinci UAVs from Turkey and second hand Sukhoi Su-30K combat jets from Russia.

Lurker4Long:
Ethiopia turns APC into self-propelled artillery

Making best use of available equipment appears to be the thinking behind modifications turning Ethiopian Federal Defence Forces (FDF) armoured personnel carriers (APCs) into self-propelled artillery pieces.

Janes reports that some Chinese WZ551 APCs in service with the East African country’s military now carry 122 mm D-30 howitzers. An FDF photo released on 7 August shows the artillery pieces fitted to five vehicles, allowing operation by gunners standing in the troop compartment with a shield providing limited frontal protection.

It is unclear if the APCs have been fitted with adjustable stabilisers to prevent suspension damage by recoil, the publication reports.

Ethiopia is believed to have about 20 WZ551s in service and at least 450 D-30 guns as well as two dozen M-46 130 mm towed guns. It has apparently mounted D-30 guns on T-55 tank chassis in previous efforts to create self-propelled artillery, although this cannot be confirmed.

Recent photographs also appear to show a howitzer mounted on a military truck.

Ethiopia is apparently also working on a rapidly deployable 120 mm mortar as seen in a photograph released by the FDF in August. Fitted on the load bed of a pickup truck, it appears to be a standard 2B11-pattern mortar with base plate attached to a pneumatic system to lower it from the vehicle bed to the ground so it can be fired, Janes reported.

The FDF released the modified APC photograph during a visit by senior officers to the Ethiopian Defence University in Bishoftu, which it said is working on upgrading weapons.

Another photo showed 122 mm BM21 multiple rocket launcher systems fitted onto six Toyota Land Cruisers. The vehicles were fitted with four stabilisers to keep them steady when firing. Ethiopia previously acquired multiple truck-mounted BM21 systems.

Ethiopia has been acquiring significant quantities of military hardware in recent years, with the most recent documented arrival being dozens of Calidus MCAV-20 vehicles from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI’s) Arms Transfers database, in recent years Ethiopia acquired five Despot armoured vehicles from Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2022, 32 SH-5 155 mm self-propelled guns from China in 2022, four Bayraktar TB-2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Turkey in 2021, and two Wing Loong-1 UAVs that same year.

China also delivered ten Type-89 APCs in 2013; four PHL-03 300 mm self-propelled multiple rocket launchers (MRLs) in 2019, and ten BP-12A surface-to-surface missile systems in 2020.

In January this year, the Ethiopian Air Force revealed it had received Bayraktar Akinci UAVs from Turkey and second hand Sukhoi Su-30K combat jets from Russia.

They also converted an old soviet era made Ural-4320 truck and D-30 howitzer into SPG. I'll say this is highly commendable.

Baller254:
kenyan police use modified caterpillar as a tank in haiti

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYPnoTU5ON8

killdozer

KDF Green Berets

Lurker4Long:
Ethiopia turns APC into self-propelled artillery

Making best use of available equipment appears to be the thinking behind modifications turning Ethiopian Federal Defence Forces (FDF) armoured personnel carriers (APCs) into self-propelled artillery pieces.

Janes reports that some Chinese WZ551 APCs in service with the East African country’s military now carry 122 mm D-30 howitzers. An FDF photo released on 7 August shows the artillery pieces fitted to five vehicles, allowing operation by gunners standing in the troop compartment with a shield providing limited frontal protection.

It is unclear if the APCs have been fitted with adjustable stabilisers to prevent suspension damage by recoil, the publication reports.

Ethiopia is believed to have about 20 WZ551s in service and at least 450 D-30 guns as well as two dozen M-46 130 mm towed guns. It has apparently mounted D-30 guns on T-55 tank chassis in previous efforts to create self-propelled artillery, although this cannot be confirmed.

Recent photographs also appear to show a howitzer mounted on a military truck.

Ethiopia is apparently also working on a rapidly deployable 120 mm mortar as seen in a photograph released by the FDF in August. Fitted on the load bed of a pickup truck, it appears to be a standard 2B11-pattern mortar with base plate attached to a pneumatic system to lower it from the vehicle bed to the ground so it can be fired, Janes reported.

The FDF released the modified APC photograph during a visit by senior officers to the Ethiopian Defence University in Bishoftu, which it said is working on upgrading weapons.

Another photo showed 122 mm BM21 multiple rocket launcher systems fitted onto six Toyota Land Cruisers. The vehicles were fitted with four stabilisers to keep them steady when firing. Ethiopia previously acquired multiple truck-mounted BM21 systems.

Ethiopia has been acquiring significant quantities of military hardware in recent years, with the most recent documented arrival being dozens of Calidus MCAV-20 vehicles from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI’s) Arms Transfers database, in recent years Ethiopia acquired five Despot armoured vehicles from Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2022, 32 SH-5 155 mm self-propelled guns from China in 2022, four Bayraktar TB-2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Turkey in 2021, and two Wing Loong-1 UAVs that same year.

China also delivered ten Type-89 APCs in 2013; four PHL-03 300 mm self-propelled multiple rocket launchers (MRLs) in 2019, and ten BP-12A surface-to-surface missile systems in 2020.

In January this year, the Ethiopian Air Force revealed it had received Bayraktar Akinci UAVs from Turkey and second hand Sukhoi Su-30K combat jets from Russia.

Is the civil war still going on at a low intensity?

Off-topic

GreenandGold, so yesterday I helped a friend sail his newly-acquired boat from the Langebaan Marina to its new berth at the Royal Cape Yacht Club. This was the view when in Table Bay, just off Blouberg.
Enough to make Odunayaw take to the sea, eh?