GAUTENG, South Africa, April 15 (UPI) -- The CASSPIR mine-protected armored personnel carrier from Denel Mechem of South Africa has been upgraded with enhanced mine protection and other features.
"The basic, reliable features of the CASSPIR remain the same," said Ashley Williams general manager of the company, (but) "now we have upgraded the hull protection by using a higher quality of steel, increased its power, improved the accessibility for passengers and mounted it on a more versatile and reliable vehicle platform."
Denel Mechem said the upgraded vehicle, which was first produced in 1979, comes in two versions: the CASSPIR NG 2000 mounted on a Mercedes Benz drive train and the 2000B using a Powerstar engine.
Both versions will feature an upgraded steel hull meeting the highest industry standards for protection. The vehicles will also feature side doors for the driver and crew and an improved back-door design.
A key feature for the modernized vehicles -- in 4x4 or 6x6 configuration -- is its modular design for adaption to customer requirements for use as an APC, for demining operations, vehicle recovery, command and control or as an ambulance.
"It has a cruising speed of 100 kph (about 60 miles per hour) on roads and up to 40 kph (nearly 25 mph) on most off-road conditions with a reach of up to 800km (497 miles) on a standard fuel tank," the company said.
