Credit
Bob Adams from George, South Africa · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Resized · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source ↗ · Modified
FORCETALLY
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At a glance
Olifant (tank)larger figure on 2 of 2
Measured figures
Gun forward
Single sourceHull
Single sourceConfiguration
| Specification | Olifant (tank) | VT-4 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Main battle tank[source] | Main battle tank[source] |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom South Africa[source] | China[source] |
| In service | 1976–present[source] | 2017–present[source] |
| Wars | South African Border War : Operation Moduler Operation Packer[source] | War against the Islamic State Boko Haram insurgency 2025 Cambodia‒Thailand conflict |
Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.
Hull only 24 ft 9.5 in (7.557 m) With gun forward 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)[source]
Length
Single source10.10 m (33.1 ft)[source]
Mk.2
Single sourceRolls-Royce Meteor 4B (Mk.1) V-12 air-cooled Continental AV1790 turbo diesel engine (others) at 2550rpm (Meteor) others up to
Single sourceRolls-Royce Meteor 4B (Mk.1) V-12 air-cooled Continental AV1790 turbo diesel engine (others) 650 hp (480 kW) at 2550rpm (Meteor) others up to 1,040 hp (780 kW) (Mk.2)[source]
VT/E1 V12 diesel engine at 2,300 rpm
Single sourceVT/E1 V12 diesel engine 1,200 hp (895 kW ) at 2,300 rpm[source]
Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.
| Developed from | Centurion (tank)[source] | — |
|---|
| Developed into | The Olifant led to the TTD also known as The Loggim program (TTD Program)[source] | — |
|---|
| No. built | 224[source] | — |
|---|
| Armour | 51–152 mm (2.0–6.0 in)[source] | composite armour and Explosive reactive armour (ERA)[source] |
|---|
| Main armament | Ordnance QF 20 pounder 84 mm " GT-1 " (Mk.1) 105 mm L7 rifled gun " GT-3 " (others)[source] | ZPT-98A 125 mm (4.9 in) smoothbore gun, 38 rounds (22 in the autoloader )[source] |
|---|
| Secondary armament | Co-axial machine gun .30 cal[source] | 1 × RWS 12.7 mm (0.50 in) AA HMG 1 × 7.62 mm (0.300 in) coaxial MG[source] |
|---|
| Transmission | 5-speed Merrit-Brown Z51R Mk. F gearbox (Mk.1) automatic gearbox (Mk.1A, Mk.1B, Mk.2)[source] | Ch1000B automatic (6 FWD/2 REV)[source] |
|---|
| Suspension | Modified Horstmann (Mk.1 and Mk.1A) Torsion Bar (Mk.1B and Mk.2)[source] | torsion bars[source] |
|---|
| Ground clearance | 1 ft 8 in (0.51 m)[source] | 43 cm (1 ft 4.93 in)[source] |
|---|
| Manufacturer | Olifant Manufacturing Company[source]Olifant Mk.1 · original Centurion refurbishment programme | Norinco Heavy Industries Taxila[source] |
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| Used by | South Africa[source]Current operator explicitly identified by the equipment service role | See § Operators[source] |
|---|
| Designer | — | Norinco[source] |
|---|
| Unit cost | — | $4.9 million[source] |
|---|
| Produced | — | 2017–present[source] |
|---|
| Variants | — | See Variants[source] |
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| Power/weight | — | 23 hp/tonne[source] |
|---|
| Reported operators | — |
|
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