South African specialist mine detection and mine protected vehicle company DCD Protected Mobility unveiled on Thursday its latest product, the Oribi multirole utility truck. This is a joint development with another South African company, vehicle customising enterprise Histomart.

"The Oribi boasts a perfect balance between off-road capability, on-road comfort and operational efficiency," affirmed DCD Protected Mobility GM Andrew Mears. "It can operate on rails, tar roads and in severe off-road conditions. These features make the vehicle ideal for numerous industries ranging from military to security to agriculture, construction and mining."

"With a fully innovative cab structure, the Oribi is built on sheer strength, with the principle of driver and passenger protection from the ground up," observed Histomart executive director Idaho Mabaso. "The Oribi is mechanically advanced, highly robust and is considerably more agile than common off-road vehicles."

The Oribi can come in single or double-cab versions, or with a two-seat open-topped cab. The cab is mounted over the engine for compactness. There are also three different wheel base lengths available.

A wide variety of options exist for the vehicle platform. These include a cargo version with crane, an ambulance, a troop carrier with ballistic protection and a tanker with pump. Optional ballistic protection kits are available.

The vehicle has a maximum payload of 3 300 kg and a power to weight ratio of up to 25 kW/t at gross vehicle weight (which is 6 000 kg). It is powered by an Iveco F1CE3481C four-cylinder turbo diesel engine with either a ZF S-400 six-speed manual or Allison SP1000 five-speed automatic gearbox. Maximum speed is 100 km/h, its maximum gradient is 100 degrees and its maximum range is more than 600 km.

For operations in the bush, it is fitted with bull bars, engine and transmission sump guards, a fuel tank shield, headlight covers, window protection and a snorkel allowing fording to a depth of 900 mm. The basic vehicle is in production and is available, if required, in large numbers.

"Oribi contributes positively to the South African economy, as it creates additional engineering and production jobs, which, in turn, positively impacts the local supply chain and export revenue flows for the country," stated Mears. "I anticipate demand to rise, as the Oribi is an all-in-one utility vehicle solution to numerous industries across the vast and rapidly developing African market, which requires a reliable offering that achieves optimal performance, even in the most hostile environments," said Mabaso.

The Oribi was officially unveiled at the Africa Aerospace and Defence 2014 exhibition at Air Force Base Waterkloof, just south of Pretoria.