While the international armoured and mine-protected-vehicle market remains in a downturn, local company BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa (LSSA) expects this to come to an end over the next 18 to 24 months and be followed by an upturn. “We are seeing new vehicle projects emerging,” reports company business development and communications director Natasha Pheiffer. “We already expect an uptick in 2016 and we’re now seeing an increase in requests for information and informal communications, so that looks likely to happen.

“We are optimistic that there will be an upturn in the market in the next couple of years, in both the police and military markets,” she adds. “With regard to geography, we expect it to be mainly in the Middle East, South America, Europe (especially, but not exclusively, Eastern Europe) and Africa. A lot of African and European countries will, within the next few years, need to start replacing old and now obsolete armoured vehicles that are now 30 to 40 years old.”

Recent years have seen the emergence of a trend that is of great importance when it comes to marketing armoured and mine-protected vehicles – the desire for an increasing number of countries for local manufacture. LSSA needs to meet this desire while simultaneously protecting its South African manufacturing base. “It’s a fine balance,” she admits. “You have to do what the customer wants.”

In response, the company is developing partnerships with local companies in the actual or potential customer countries. The aim is to ensure that, if the customer requires local assembly or even manufacture, a greater or lesser number of the components and parts will be made in South Africa and shipped to the assembly or manufacturing plant in the customer country. “Many countries are open to this,” assures Pheiffer. “Our design process takes this into account. Our latest prod- ucts are designed to allow local assembly or manufacture.”

In contrast, Pheiffer describes the local market as being “largely steady state”, with the company supplying spares and undertaking maintenance and overhaul. “But there has been a slight uptick – we’re busy upgrading Mambas and Casspirs here at our Benoni plant, [east of Johannesburg].”

Mambas and Casspirs are different types of mine-protected vehicles in service with the South African National Defence Force, or SANDF. While the original 4 × 2 Mamba was developed by what is now Denel Mechem, the significantly redesigned 4 × 4 Mamba Mk 2 was developed by LSSA ancestor company Reumech OMC, and LSSA OMC remains the design authority for the vehicle. Confusingly, both LSSA OMC and Denel Mechem have design rights to the Casspir and the rights to the name are vested with the latter.

“As for new programmes – Projects Sepula and Vistula – there have been no new indications.” (Project Sepula would see the acquisition of new armoured personnel carriers by the SANDF, replacing the Casspirs and Mambas, while Project Vistula would involve buying new cross-country tactical, logistical and support trucks, at least some of which would be mine-protected.)

Currently, LSSA is completing its contract with the United Arab Emirates for 76 mobile mortar platform vehicles, based on the RG31 mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle. The last of these vehicles should be delivered by the end of this month.