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Olifant
Photo: Bob Adams from George, South Africa · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
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Olifant

Tanks · South Africa · 1976
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Olifant

Olifant
Olifant Photo: Bob Adams from George, South Africa · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
* Absolute score — assessed within category · no era adjustment
Firepower
65
Protection
55
Mobility
70
Technology
50
Reliability
80
Crew Survivability
60
Operational Range
75
Logistics
70
Historical Performance
70
Strategic Impact
55
Origin South Africa
CategoryTanks
EraCold War
In service1976
Operators1 countries
Quantity224
Data Quality84%
MASS(Military Archive Scoring System)
64
Tanks MASS Rating
19/89
Cold War
73/563
All-Time
Tanks · 10 axes scored
Firepower
65
Protection
55
Mobility
70
Technology
50
Reliability
80
Crew Survivability
60
Operational Range
75
Logistics
70
Historical Performance
70
Strategic Impact
55
ⓘ Regardless of era, the same scoring system applies to all units in the tanks category.
01 / Overview
Olifant
Category
Production
1976–
Quantity
224
Operators
💰 PERFORMANCE / PRICE ASSESSMENT Methodology ↗
TANKS · COLD WAR
19
PERFORMANCE/PRICE
75
UNIT COST (2025 USD)
—
64
tanks category
ⓘ Performance/Price and MASS score are computed across all units in the tanks category, regardless of era.
02 / Specs & Design
◎General5MOD.5
  • Tank ClassificationMain Battle Tank (MBT)
  • GenerationCold War
  • Combat Weight57.912 t
  • Crew Size4
  • Service Entry Year1976
◈Firepower7MOD.7
◇Mobility6MOD.6
  • Engine Power1,040 hp
  • Fuel TypeDiesel
  • Transmission TypeManual
  • Suspension TypeCoil Spring
  • Max Road Speed58 km/h
  • Operational Range (Road)350 km
◆Dimensions5MOD.5
  • Length (Hull)7.56 m
  • Length (Overall, Gun Forward)9.83 m
  • Width3.38 m
  • Height2.94 m
  • Ground Clearance0.508 m
▲Production & Service1MOD.1
  • Current Service StatusActive Service
03 / History
SERVICE LIFESPANStill in Service
  1. 1966First deployment: South African Border War
  2. 1976Production started
50
years in service
224
units produced
1
countries operating
ⓘ The producing country still actively operates it.
04 / Operators
Operator Countries1country
📖 TERMS ON THIS PAGE16terms
Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot: a type of kinetic energy penetrator ammunition.
Coil spring: a helical metal spring used in vehicle suspension to absorb shocks and maintain wheel contact, compressing under load.
Computerised Basic: a fire control system generation in tanks that provides fundamental computer‑assisted ballistic calculations without advanced targeting aids such as laser rangefinders or thermal imaging.
Type of internal combustion engine fuel, refined from crude oil.
High-Explosive Fragmentation: ammunition that explodes on impact, releasing fragments.
High-Explosive Anti-Tank: a type of projectile that uses a shaped charge to penetrate armor.
Optical device that uses laser pulses to measure the distance to a target with high precision.
A main battle tank is a heavily armored vehicle with a large caliber gun, used for front-line combat.
Manual: a tank transmission in which the driver selects gear changes manually, typically using a clutch pedal and gear lever to engage gears.
Nuclear, Biological, Chemical protection for tank crews.
Enhanced low-light visibility through specialized optics or sensors.
A rifled gun has spiral grooves cut into its barrel.
Handheld or vehicle-mounted devices that release dense smoke to obscure vision, conceal movements, or screen friendly forces from enemy observation.
Thermal sights are infrared imaging devices mounted on a tank's gunner station that detect heat emitted by objects, enabling target identification and aiming in low‑visibility conditions.
Armour made by welding and rolling homogeneous steel plates.
These terms are listed automatically because they appear on this page.full encyclopedia →
📚 Sources
📖 ENCYCLOPEDIA Browse the Tanks entry →