South African defence companies did not just display their wares at the SA Army’s flagship Exercise Vuk’uhlome this year but also took part in live firing, with turrets, vehicles and target drones being tested in the force preparation and training exercise held at the Combat Training Centre in the Northern Cape.
Denel Land Systems made arguably the loudest industry contribution to the Distinguished Visitors’ Day on 26 November – the culmination of the weeks-long exercise that ultimately saw forces being declared combat ready. The state-owned defence company fired its 8×8 Tatra truck mounted T5-52 155 mm howitzer alongside an SA Army 6×6 G6 self-propelled howitzer, demonstrating quick setup time and high weapon accuracy.
The SA Army is due to receive six T5-52s from Denel as replacements for six G5 towed howitzers that were sold to the United Arab Emirates a decade ago. It is not clear when deliveries will take place as Denel has been struggling with capacity challenges. Nevertheless, it is bullish on receiving future orders, and is pursuing a R53 billion order pipeline, mainly for artillery, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
According to a presentation it delivered in mid-June to Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD), Denel is pursuing a potential R15 billion artillery contract with a Middle Eastern customer which is looking to acquire 78 T5-52 systems along with support vehicles and Arthur radars. Denel has responded to a request for information (RFI) and proposal for localisation, and is awaiting the request for proposals (RFP). Another opportunity is for the supply of 54 T5 artillery systems to a customer in a potential R12 billion deal. This is in the RFI phase. At Exercise Vuk’uhlome 2025, representatives from the Middle Eastern country were present.
On the smaller end of the spectrum, three local defence companies provided vehicles and weapons for demonstration and testing by the SA Army. DCD Protected Mobility, which previously supplied Husky mine detection vehicles to the SANDF, demonstrated its Springbuck weapons carrier platform – this armoured single cab vehicle was fitted with a ZSU-23-2 23 mm cannon – it can also mount mortars or a 14.5 mm cannon, and is available in double cab configuration. Unlike unarmoured ‘technicals’ fitted with weapons on the back, the DCD offering has mine and ballistic protection. Its robust structure and weight is well suited to absorbing the recoil from weapons like the ZSU-23.
SVI Engineering also fired a ZSU-23-2 cannon, mounted on its 6×6 Land Cruiser 79-based chassis. The company said the 6×6 is a rugged, mobile and scalable solution that has proved its mettle during evaluation at the SA Army Combat Training Centre. The 6×6 armoured Land Cruiser also has a machinegun turret over the cab. It was evaluated during last year’s Exercise Vuk’uhlome. SVI previously supplied modified 4×4 Toyota Land Cruisers to the SA Army, with 23 mm cannons or Scorpion mortar systems on the back.
The recently rebranded South African Defence Group (SADG – formerly known as Sandock Austral Defence) showcased its new light machinegun turret on a Mamba armoured vehicle. Developed in conjunction with a local defence company, the project began with a completely manual turret for 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm machineguns, and was displayed in this form at the 2024 Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition. At the SA Army’s request, it evolved into a remotely operated turret that provides protection for the gunner. Although the turret was designed to fit the Mamba in line with a potential upgrade of the vehicle, it is a modular system and can be adapted to other vehicles.
Also taking part in the live fire portion of Exercise Vuk’uhlome 2025 was the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). It launched a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fixed wing target drone that the air defence artillery attempted to shoot down. The CSIR fielded the concept of a low cost electric VTOL target drone to simulate new threats. This is part of efforts to prove the concept of a replacement for the LOCATS target drone to respond to modernised air defence artillery training requirements.
The Canvas and Tent Group (Bushtec) brought its Bushfit gym to Mount Huxley where the Distinguished Visitors Day demonstration was held, and also set up a medical tent to showcase some of its field accommodation solutions.
Representatives from around a dozen defence companies were also on hand to show their support for the SANDF and promote their solutions, including Twiga, TMI Simulation Solutions, Global Command and Control Technologies (GC2T) etc.
