South African Army

The South African Army is the army of South Africa, also known in Afrikaans as the Suid-Afrikaanse Leër.

The current South African Army

Though non-white personnel did serve as unarmed labourers with the army in both World Wars, and a number of units were completely desegregated during the Border War, it was not until 1994 - when South Africa achieved full democracy - that the army as a whole was made open to all races. Today the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has racial quotas to make sure that White, Black, Coloured, and Indian South Africans are equally represented in the armed forces.

Related Topics:
1994 - South African National Defence Force

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Most of the post-1994 military involvement of the South African Army has been with peacekeeping operations under United Nations and African Union command in other African countries such as Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Related Topics:
Peacekeeping - United Nations - African Union - African - Burundi - Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Units

Regular Units

• South African Armoured Corps
• 1 Special Service Battalion
• 1 South African Tank Regiment
• South African Infantry Corps
• Special forces Brigade
• 44 Parachute Regiment
• 1 Infantry Battalion
• 2 Infantry Battalion
• 3 Infantry Battalion
• 4 Infantry Battalion
• 5 Infantry Battalion
• 6 Infantry Battalion
• 7 Infantry Battalion
• 8 Infantry Battalion
• 21 Infantry Battalion
• 51 Infantry Battalion
• 52 Infantry Battalion
• 53 Infantry Battalion
• 54 Infantry Battalion
• 61 Mechanised Infantry Battalion Group
• 121 Infantry Battalion
• South African Artillery
• 4 Artillery Regiment
• 10 Air Defence Regiment
• South African Engineers
• 2 Field Engineer Regiment
• 14 Engineer Regiment
• 35 Engineer Support Regiment
• 1 Construction Engineer Regiment
• 1 Military Printing Regiment
• 4 Survey and Mapping Regiment

Reserve Units

• Armour
• Light Horse Regiment
• Natal Mounted Rifles
• Umvoti Mounted Rifles
• Pretoria Regiment
• Regiment Mooirivier
• Regiment Oranjerivier
• Regiment President Steyn
• Infantry
• Cape Town Highlanders
• Cape Town Rifles
• Durban Light Infantry
• Johannesburg Regiment
• Kaffrian Rifles
• Kimberley Regiment
• Natal Carbineers
• Prince Alfred's Guard
• Rand Light Infantry
• Regiment Bloemspruit
• Regiment Boland
• Regiment Skoonspruit
• Regiment Westelike Provinsie
• South African Irish Regiment
• Transvaal Scottish
• Witwatersrand Rifles
• Artillery
• Cape Field Artillery
• Natal Field Artillery
• Transvaal Horse Artillery
• Regiment Potch Universiteit
• Transvaalse Staatsartillerie
• Vrystaatse Artillerie Regt
• Pretoria Highlanders
• 6 Light AA Regiment
• Cape Garrison Artillery
• Regiment Oos Transvaal
• Regiment Vaal River
• Engineers
• 3 Field Engineer Regiment
• 6 Field Engineer Regiment
• 19 Field Engineer Regiment

Weapons

• Star 9mm automatic pistol (being replaced)
• Vektor R4 5.56mm assault rifle replaced the R1 (license-built FN FAL) 7.62mm assault rifle.
• Vektor R5 and R6 assault rifles (shortened barrel R4)
• Uzi 9mm light-weight submachine gun
• Vektor SS-77 5.56mm general purpose lightweight machine gun replaced the 7.62mm FN MAG
• Milkor MGL Mk-1 six round 40mm grenade launcher
• A new lightweight Anti-tank guided missile launcher replacing the RPG-7

Combat vehicles

• Olifant 1A/1B series main battle tank (250)
• Rooikat 76 wheeled armoured fighting vehicle (160) replaced the Eland 60/90 series wheeled reconnaissance vehicle (1,100)
• Ratel 20/60/90 family of infantry fighting vehicles (1200)

Artillery

• GV6 155 mm self-propelled howitzer (20)
• GV5 155 mm howitzer (75) replaced the G4 155 mm gun and the G2 140 mm gun
• G7 105 mm gun replaced the G1 88 mm gun
• Bateleur 127 mm 40 tube multiple rocket launcher
• Valkiri-22 24 tube self-propelled multiple rocket launcher

Non-combat vehicles

• Mamba and RG-32 Nyala Mine protected vehicles replacing 1,500 Buffels and Casspirs.
• SAMIL 20 an (upgraded Magirus Deutz 130M7FAL) 4x4 truck
• SAMIL 50 an (upgraded Magirus Deutz 192D12AL) 4x4 truck
• SAMIL 100 an (upgraded Magirus Deutz 320D22AL) 6x6 truck