South Africa’s globally respected specialist mine protection and demining company, Denel Mechem, made two major announcements last month. The first was of the company’s development of a new-generation version of the renowned Casspir mine-protected vehicle, the Casspir NG 2000. The second was of the develop- ment of a new multipurpose truck fitted with a new mine-protected cab.

The Casspir first entered service in 1979 and since then has seen service around the world with the United Nations (UN), various police forces and private security companies, as well as with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). “The basic, reliable features of the Casspir remain the same,” affirms Denel Mechem GM Ashley Williams. “It has always been the world leader in its class – providing unequalled protection against landmines, roadside bombs and automatic rifle fire. Now we have improved the hull protection by using a higher quality of steel, increased its power, improved the accessibility for passengers and mounted it on a more versatile and reliable vehicle platform.”

The Casspir NG 2000 can resist the blast of 14 kg of explosives – equivalent to more than two landmines – under each wheel. It comes in two versions. One uses a Mercedes-Benz drivetrain while the other, designated the NG 2000B, uses a Powerstar engine as its platform. The result is improved power and manoeuvrability.

The NG 2000 also has side doors for the driver and crew, an improved rear door and greater comfort for crew and passengers, including air conditioning as a standard fit. The new vehicle has a modular design, so it can easily be adapted to different missions. Thus, in addition to its original role as a mine-protected troop carrier, the Casspir NG 2000 can also be supplied in command-and-control, field ambulance, recovery vehicle and light transport versions.

The Casspir NG 2000 is available in a 6 × 6 version as well as the original 4 × 4 format, with run-flat tyres in both configurations. In both cases, the transmission can be either manual or automatic. It can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h in most off-road environments and has a cruising speed of 100 km/h on roads. With its standard fuel tank, it has a range of up to 800 km.

The new truck is based on a Powerstar drivetrain and is aimed at civil and military operators in regions where there are high risks of landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) – either conflict or immediate post-conflict zones. Civilian operators need to be able to transport aid materials, medicines, food and water in these environments, while military operators need to move many of the same types of goods, plus troops, spare parts and ammunition. The company is also targeting the new vehicle at the SANDF, which needs to replace its current range of Samil trucks.

The new Denel Mechem truck already comes in standard, water, fuel and medical support versions. All versions are fitted with the new mine-protected cab as standard. This provides significantly improved protection from IEDs, landmines and fire from 7.62 × 51 mm automatic rifles. The cab meets the requirements of North Atlantic Treaty Organ-isation (Nato) Standardisation Agreement (better known as Stanag) 4569 Level 4A. (Stanags are also used by many countries outside Nato, because of their convenience.)

The level of protection provided by the cab can be varied to meet the requirements of the customer. The new cab can also be modified to fit on nearly all makes and models of 4 × 4 and 6 × 6 trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles.

Denel Mechem has pro- duction facilities at Lyttelton, in Pretoria. The company is part of the State-owned Denel defence industrial group. It provides demining and logistical support for UN and African Union peacekeeping forces in ten African countries.