₦airaland Forum

Odunayaw:
18 supersonic multirole was gotten only $700m more than 24 transonic trainer jets.

He is pointing the discrepancy to show they had a better deal.

Milkor confirmed as winning bidder in SA Army border patrol APC tender

State defence materiel agency Armscor has revealed that Milkor has been chosen to supply armoured vehicles to the South African Army, which is seeking several hundred for border patrol and other duties.

In a statement released by Armscor Corporate Communication representative Nonduduzo Nyathikazi on Wednesday, the state-owned entity said, “The bid has been awarded to Milkor SA (Pty) Ltd, a South African company with proven track record in the military environment.”

In January 2023, Armscor issued a Request for Information (SA Army/R/403/6) for a 2+8 seat armoured personnel carrier (APC) capable of counterinsurgency operations with variable ballistic and mine protection able to defeat an 8 kg mine. Seven companies responded to the RFI (DCD Protected Mobility, Denel, OTT Solutions, Paramount, Automotive Investment Holdings/ICP, and SVI).

The intention was to evaluate the different vehicles along the South African borderline in operational conditions in October/November 2023 and afterwards demonstrate the vehicles during the SA Army’s Exercise Vuk’uhlome in November 2023.

Armscor was originally supposed to place the procurement contract from 1 April 2024, but this was delayed. On 23 July 2024, Armscor issued tender ELWS/2024/71 for personnel carrier vehicles for border patrol, to be utilised for internal and external missions of the SA Army. Nearly 500 vehicles are to be acquired, in three variants: 210 Section variants, 144 Command variants, and 108 Ambulance variants.

The bid called for a vehicle with a 13.5 ton Gross Vehicle Mass, while catering for a minimum payload of 1.5 tons. Ballistic protection must be to NATO STANAG Level 1 that covers 7.62 x 51 mm and 5.56 mm ball ammunition. Mine blast protection must be to Level 2 (single 6 kg surrogate mine placed under the vehicle). The vehicle must be air transportable in Ilyushin Il-76 or Airbus A400M aircraft and also be able to be carried on ships and flatbed rail containers.

Bids were initially due to close on 23 August 2024, with deliveries expected on or before 15 March 2025. However, the tender has faced numerous challenges, including changing requirements – Armscor revised specifications, reducing the combat weight as the original user requirement was mostly taken from that of the Badger infantry fighting vehicle for the SA Army, and this was not practical for the vehicles required for border patrol.

Bid validity was extended to cater to delays, and in a letter to bidders dated 17 June 2025, Armscor’s Supply Chain Management announced another extension to 30 September 2025.

Nyathikazi explained that Armscor received eleven bids, of which six complied with “critical criteria evaluation.” By October, Armscor had selected a preferred bidder and had submitted a Financial Authorisation request to the SA Army.

In revealing Milkor as the tender winner, Nyathikazi stated that Armscor conducted a due diligence exercise on the preferred bidder to confirm amongst others, the technical and financial capacity of the bidder to execute the requirement of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

“The order placed provides for specific risk mitigating factors where the contractor may not proceed with any work prior to the successful acceptance of the First Article Variants by Armscor within a specified timeframe. The order further provides for performance guarantees to ensure the technical and financial performance of the contractor is in line with the terms and conditions of the order,” Armscor stated.

Although Armscor did not specify which vehicle Milkor would supply, the company offers three models: the Bushcat 4×4 armoured personnel carrier, Frontier light tactical vehicle based on a Land Cruiser chassis, and Vanguard MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle.

The new vehicles will replace the ‘troop pack’ vehicles previously acquired for border patrol – over 400 Toyota Land Cruisers were originally bought for this purpose. National Treasury allocated R500 million in 2024/25 for the procurement of vehicles to replace the troop packs.

The delays, changing tender requirements and other issues related to the tender have seen complaints from losing bidders, who have accused Armscor of changing bid processes to possibly favour a particular manufacturer. As reported by The Citizen, Armscor invited DCD, Paramount, and SVI to send vehicles to the SA Army’s Technical Services School for physical inspection on 28 February, to be followed by field testing along the borders from 3-26 March. However, the field evaluations were cancelled.

“The process was not delayed nor changed to favour any particular bidder,” according to the Nyathikazi statement, which added that the live field tests were not part of the pre-determined value system of the request for bid (RFB) and was not intended to be used for any evaluation purposes. “There are also no compulsory protocols such as the field tests, that needed to be followed in the procurement process. The field tests could therefore not favour any particular manufacturer.”

Armscor also received objections from bidders indicating a concern that the field tests were not part of the request for bid requirements. “It is correctly reported that the field tests were cancelled in order to align with the RFB requirements. The vehicle specifications were not altered during the process; however, clarification was provided to bidders regarding applicable standards for amongst other, ballistic protection.”

Furthermore, Armscor said it executes its mandate in accordance with the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). “In line with these provisions Armscor followed the established procurement processes in the evaluation and adjudication of the bids in a fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective manner.”
https://defenceweb.co.za/land/land-land/milkor-confirmed-as-winning-bidder-in-sa-army-border-patrol-apc-tender/

Rescue Simulation Centre Opening at University of Johannesburg (UJ).
Congratulations to the Department of Emergency Medical Care (EMC) in UJ’s Faculty of Health Sciences.
The Rescue Simulation Centre at the Doornfontein Campus is a 3,000m², four-storey state-of-the-art facility designed to provide high-fidelity training for emergency responders.
After years of planning and construction, some of our Gauteng team members had the privilege of visiting this world-class centre shortly after its opening last week.
https://web.facebook.com/UJHealthandMedicalProfessions/posts/pfbid033txd3itbbUL1dvZwRKDrnnd2P1ESHFojpXWRGTPXQCXWyWNVaqFvA2maUTukCmKNl

Tinfoil:
I doubt they are well paid enough to resist a $3000 a month paycheck. Not even the Nigerian army gets paid that much.

Lurker4Long:
The Paramount Maverick is all grown up now as the Marshall:

Two new Airbus H125 helicopters handed over to the SAPS
The South African Police Service (SAPS) Air Wing has expanded with another two H125 rotorcraft, which were formally handed over by Airbus on Friday 3 October.
Cachalia explained that one of the helicopters will be based in Umtata and the other in Gauteng. The SAPS now has a fleet of 19 H125/AS350 Squirrel helicopters. It received two others from Airbus in September 2023, with more expected to be acquired in the future. The H125s join six Robinson R44, eight BK117, and two MD500 aircraft in the police rotary wing fleet.
https://defenceweb.co.za/aerospace/aerospace-aerospace/two-new-airbus-h125-helicopters-handed-over-to-the-saps/

SAPS receive a dozen Marshall internal security vehicles to enhance riot control capability
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has officially taken delivery of a dozen new Marshall internal security vehicles from Paramount, and will use them to enhance its public order policing (POP) capabilities.

According to Paramount, the initial batch of 12 vehicles marks the first phase of a staggered delivery programme. Cachalia said the acquisitions were done with Criminal Assets Recovery Account (CARA) funding and are part of an ongoing procurement process, but did not elaborate on what further equipment will be acquired.

Derived from experience with Paramount’s Maverick internal security vehicle (used by Brazil, Ghana, Togo, and Zambia, amongst others), the Marshall was adapted to SAPS requirements and underwent extensive testing and refinement ahead of delivery.

The Marshall vehicle provides ballistic and blast protection to STANAG 4569 Level 1, with a monocoque hull and “smart floor” technology enabling rapid reconfiguration for missions ranging from riot control and tactical response to high-risk prisoner transport. With a kerb weight of 12 500 kg, a payload of 2 500 kg, and the ability to transport eight personnel at speeds up to 110 km/h, the vehicle also integrates a 360-degree camera system, public address system, advanced sensor and vision technology.
https://defenceweb.co.za/land/land-land/saps-receive-a-dozen-marshall-internal-security-vehicles-to-enhance-riot-control-capability/

Odunayaw:
Nah, I think the STATT guys are spot on. They're about to go first into a space where milliseconds to fit their NODs and adjust their field of vision is too valuable to lose.

jl115:
FCC denies that they threatened Jimmy Kimmel secondly I was talking generally, we all know what social media was like when you had opposing views to that of the Libs before Trump

kabe1:
Nigerian Navy SBS participating in ONSA crisis response simulation exercise.


Credits: ifeonifoto

Lurker4Long:
I just hope Armscor does not mess up this procurement like they've done with the 462 vehicles needed for the Border Patrol Armoured Personnel Carriers.

GreenandGold:
.

Preferred bidder identified for new SANDF border patrol APC
State defence materiel agency Armscor has identified a preferred bidder for its armoured personnel carrier (APC) tender for the South African Army.

Liziwe Nkonyana, Senior Manager: Corporate Communication at Armscor, told defenceWeb in response to a query that the procurement process is nearing finalisation, and a preferred bidder has been identified. She did not divulge which company has been selected.

“A request for Financial Authorisation (FA) has been submitted to the SA Army unit and we are awaiting approval thereof. The appointment of the preferred bidder will take place as soon as the FA is approved,” Nkonyana added.

In January 2023, Armscor issued a Request for Information (SA Army/R/403/6) for a 2+8 seat APC capable of counterinsurgency operations with variable ballistic and mine protection able to defeat an 8 kg mine. Seven companies responded to the RFI (DCD Protected Mobility, Denel, OTT Solutions, Paramount, Automotive Investment Holdings/ICP, and SVI).

The intention was to evaluate the different vehicles along the South African borderline in operational conditions in October/November 2023 and afterwards demonstrate the vehicles during the SA Army’s Exercise Vuk’uhlome in November 2023, but this did not happen.

Armscor was originally supposed to place the procurement contract from 1 April 2024, but this was delayed. On 23 July 2024, Armscor issued tender ELWS/2024/71 for personnel carrier vehicles for border patrol, to be utilised for internal and external missions of the SA Army. Nearly 500 vehicles are to be acquired, in three variants: 210 Section variants, 144 Command variants, and 108 Ambulance variants.

The bid calls for a vehicle with a 13.5 ton Gross Vehicle Mass, while catering for a minimum payload of 1.5 tons. Ballistic protection must be to NATO STANAG Level 1 that covers 7.62 x 51 mm and 5.56 mm ball ammunition. Mine blast protection must be to Level 2 (single 6 kg surrogate mine placed under the vehicle).

Bids were initially due to close on 23 August last year, with deliveries expected on or before 15 March 2025. However, the tender has faced numerous challenges, including changing requirements – Armscor revised specifications, reducing the combat weight as the original user requirement was mostly taken from that of the Badger infantry fighting vehicle for the SA Army, and this was not practical for the vehicles required for border patrol.

Bid validity was extended to cater to delays, and in a letter to bidders dated 17 June 2025, Armscor’s Supply Chain Management announced another extension. “There is a likelihood that the bid process will not be concluded before the expiry of the currently validity period. You are therefore requested to extend the validity period until 30 September 2025,” according to Samson Mahlangu on behalf of Executive Manager: Supply Chain Management.

Market entry and bid proposal consultant James Kerr believes the bid’s requirements are a stretch for the industry to meet. He believes it would take at least a year for the first 60 vehicles to be delivered after tender award, and the remaining vehicles following at least three years after that.

The new APCs will replace the troop pack vehicles previously acquired for border patrol – over 400 Toyota Land Cruisers were originally bought for this purpose. National Treasury allocated R500 million in 2024/25 for the procurement of vehicles to replace the troop packs.
https://www.defenceweb.co.za/land/land-land/preferred-bidder-identified-for-new-sandf-border-patrol-apc/

jl115:
Dude lets not act like cancel culture didn't exist under the democrats

GreenandGold:
@Lurker4Long, yesterday I was at Parkmore, boom I come across the legendary Mirage on the rooftop.

- fixed cost for a Toyota Land Cruiser Single Cab converted to 6×6 with automatic transmission, fitted with front Bull Bar and rear flatbed load carrier capable of carrying 3.5 tons;
- Appropriate tie-down points must be fitted to the rear flatbed load carrier;
- differential locks on each axle; ability to switch from 6×2, 6×4 and 6×6 modes;
- ground clearance of at least 235 mm;
- non-pneumatic suspension; and standard Toyota Land Cruiser V8 diesel engine. The vehicle will need to make use of new parts and not used or remanufactured items.

A separate request for bids will be issued following testing and evaluation, for the accepted/preferred platform to be integrated with an armoured cab and user-specific rear platform.

Then, Armscor will issue a bid for the procurement of complete vehicle systems. “This phase will involve manufacture in accordance to the baseline approved for preceding phases, for the preferred platform. Including integration of the user specific rear platform variants in support of the operational system.

Operational testing and evaluation is subject to test conditions specified for Gerotek evaluation:
- This will include rollover angle evaluation, side slop verification, step climb capability, incline capability, overcoming suspension track obstacles, and sand trail testing.

- The bidder should be able to support the modified Land Cruisers for at least ten years and provide the necessary spares.

Lurker4Long:
SA Police Service, SAAF, Emergency Medical Services conducting rescue training on the Gariep Dam.

GreenandGold:
Basically handing over Intellectual Property to the Saudis for free again.

South African arms companies never learn.

Okoroawusa:
Sorry bro, I guess I misunderstood your comment.
Haba! The insult wasn't necessary nah!

WesleyPepper:
Sorry boss
I Dey quick vex nah why . I don edit am

Lurker4Long:
More Ex Red Lion...

Lurker4Long:
Ex Red Lion takes centre stage in Simon’s Town

Lurker4Long:
Throwback Thursday: SANDF in Mozambique.