Buffel

The Buffel (English: Buffalo) is a mine-protected infantry mobility vehicle used by the South African Army during the South African Border War. The Buffel was also used as an armoured fighting vehicle and proved itself in this role. It was replaced by the Mamba from 1995 in South Africa, but remains in use elsewhere, notably Sri Lanka.

Production history

The Buffel was the first truly effective landmine-protected armored personnel carrier to enter service anywhere. The South African Army began deploying it in the operational area from 1978. The Buffel was an improvement over the Bosvark which offered little protection to the driver. In 1974, 54 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 416-162 chassis had hastily converted into Bosvark by 61 Base Workshops in Pretoria. Bosvark offered limited landmine protection to the crew, but compensated for this with good off-road mobility.It is estimated that around 2,400 Buffel were delivered before production stopped. Sri-Lanka purchased a number of Buffels in the 1980s, and in the early 1990s the vehicle was exported to Uganda.

Buffel (disambiguation)

Buffel might refer to: