Olifant Mk 1B

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The Olifant Mk 1B main battle tank was developed and produced by the Olifant Manufacturing Company, OMC Engineering PTY Ltd, based in South Africa. Development of the Olifant started in 1976 and first entered service with the South African Armoured Corps in the late 1970s. OMC Engineering later became Reumech OMC, then Vickers OMC and, in September 2002 was renamed Alvis OMC, following the acquisition of Vickers Defence by Alvis plc. In September 2004, Alvis OMC became part of BAE Systems Land Systems.

The layout of the Olifant Mark 1 was very similar to that of the South African Semel tank which was based on an upgraded conversion of the British Centurion tanks. The Olifant has been continually upgraded. The Mark 1A entered full-scale production in 1983 and the first were in service by 1985. In the same year that the Mark 1A entered the production phase, development work was started on the Mark 1B, and these tanks were in production during the 1990s and are operational in the South African Armed Forces.

The South African Army has 172 Olifant Mk 1A/B main battle tanks in operation. The Olifant 1B entered service in 1991. The upgrades included the installation of a more powerful 105 mm L7 cannon, a hand held laser rangefinder and a first generation image intensifier. The range of the tank was increased by the installation of a diesel engine and additional fuel tanks.

In September 2003, BAE Systems Land Systems OMC was awarded a contract by Armscor (the South African Department of Defense procurement agency) to upgrade 13 Olifant Mk 1B tanks. The upgrade programme includes a new powerpack from Delkon which increases power by 15%, upgrade of gun and turret drives by Reutech Defence Logistics, new fire control system and target detection and engagement system with thermal imaging capability, both supplied by IST Dynamics. A follow-on contract for a further 13 tanks upgraded to Olifant Mk2 standard was awarded in September 2005. Deliveries are scheduled for 2006-07.

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