South Africa’s Next IFV: Honey Badger Doesn’t Care

Hoefyster/ Badger –
Denel concept

DID has covered a number of contracts for wheeled armored personnel carriers; in Europe, the 3 perennial combatants are GD-MOWAG’s Piranha/LAV, GD-Steyr’s Pandur II, and Patria’s Armored Modular Vehicle (AMV). Now Denel Land Systems has announced a contract from the South African government’s Armscor procurement agency to develop the South African Army’s new generation infantry combat vehicle. The “Hoefyster” program aims to produce an 8×8 wheeled APC in the 25 ton class, designed as a family of vehicles that can be equipped with various turrets and on-board options.

The Rand 8.3 billion program for 264 vehicles involves the largest single contract Denel has landed in its 16-year history, and South African companies will deliver more than 70% of the total value of the contract. The other 30% will be delivered by Finland’s Patria Oyj, whose amphibious AMV will be Project Hoefyster’s base vehicle…

DARPA Kicks Off Blue Wolf Undersea Vehicle Project, Aims to Go Faster & Further

• DARPA is organizing an industry day on July 10 in Arlington, VA to discuss Blue Wolf, a program meant to create prototypes of undersea vehicles that go beyond the speed-range boundaries of existing fixed-size platforms. There is $13.9M in the agency’s FY15 budget request to get this started, as a follow-up to earlier programs that were initiated almost a decade ago.