Unveiled at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2024 exhibition, Jorsin’s Tau armoured personnel carrier (APC) has caught the eye of several African states as they seek an affordable and reliable solution to their military transport needs.
The Tau, which is inspired by the famed Ratel 6×6 infantry combat vehicle, is a new 4×4 armoured personnel carrier aimed at maximising reliability through simplicity. Jorsin’s Jorrie Jordaan told defenceWeb that the company has received interest from a number of African countries, including Zambia and Cameroon. While progress on an arrangement with Zambia has been slow, the country expressed a desire to obtain an affordable and reliable troop carrier for its contribution to United Nations peacekeeping missions.
In terms of Cameroon, Jorsin is expecting to receive a representative of Cameroon sometime at the end of March 2025 with the intent of reviewing the Tau as well as potentially an upgraded Ratel. Zambia is expected to purchase a number of vehicles while Cameroon is expected to place an order for a number in the near future.
Notably, the Tau was designed specifically to deal with the challenging conditions found across the African market. Consequently, Jordaan emphasises that Jorsin consciously decided to minimise the presence and importance of electronic components within the Tau in order to ease the need for maintenance and limit areas of failure.
The Tau is also designed for maximum flexibility, and is capable of not only utilising existing Ratel turrets but also Cold War-era Russian turrets that many African countries may already have in their domestic stockpiles. That means that it is possible for African states to buy the Tau without an expensive new turret and simply repurpose their existing systems. As a consequence, the Tau comes in at a markedly lower price as compared to similarly sized vehicles.
Beyond simplicity the Tau is relatively unique in its ability to be transported to where it is needed by any and all means of transport, be it road, rail, or air, due to its relatively low weight and compact proportions. While other 4×4 APCs tend to be some 14 to 16 tons, the Tau by comparison weighs well under 12 tons, turret included. Furthermore, the platform provides an immense level of versatility, in terms of possible use. For example, Jorsin proudly boasts of its ability to be used as an ambulance, command vehicle, as well as its primary role as a troop carrier, among others.
Additionally, a key attraction point of the Tau, particularly to the African market, is the ease of maintenance for the vehicle. Jordaan points to the fact that the power pack can be removed in less than five minutes for maintenance, repairs, or replacement. This is one example of the focus on simplicity and a user-friendly design philosophy. “This is one of the aspects of the Tau that makes it relatively unique. There is no other comparable vehicle that can be serviced and repaired so quickly,” Jordaan told defenceWeb.
While Jorsin is willing and able to produce the APC itself for African clients, the company told defenceWeb that it is willing and keen to sell the intellectual property of the Tau to other stakeholders in South Africa such as the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) or Denel to enable rapid production of the vehicle for the SANDF.
The Tau can accommodate up to thirteen crew (ten in the rear crew compartment plus a driver, a commander and a gunner in an optional turret). A horizontal double rear door functions as a flip-up/drop-down ramp, facilitating easy entry and exit. Roof-mounted hatches provide alternative access points, while side-mounted armoured glass windows with integrated shooting ports offer good visibility.
As with the Ratel, the driver is positioned in the centre of the vehicle, avoiding the need to offer the vehicle in left or right hand drive configurations. “This placement offers full frontal visibility through armoured glass, significantly enhancing offroad manoeuvrability. A dedicated hatch provides the driver with easy access to the vehicle,” Jorsin explained.
The vehicle is powered by a Cummins 157 kW (210 hp) turbocharged and intercooled diesel engine driving an Allison six-speed automatic transmission through a Meritor two-speed transfer gearbox, giving a maximum speed of 115 km/h and range of 800 km plus. A Meritor fully independent suspension provides enhanced off-road mobility and “superb” on-road stability, eliminating the wobble the Ratel is known for.
The vehicle makes use of a monocoque hull manufactured from 8 mm armoured steel to provide ballistic protection to NATO STANAG Level II (stopping up to 7.62×39 mm armour piercing rounds). A turret weighing 1 500 kg can be fitted to the vehicle.
