From Concept to Reality: The Evolution of the Bosvark SPAAG
The Bosvark is a South African SPAAG platform developed in the 1990s as a simple and effective platform for shooting down aircraft. Bosvark comes from the Afrikaans name for the African Bushpig. The previous SPAAG, the Ystervark, was a stopgap during the South African Border War for a mobile SPAAG. The need for the Bosvark arose from the downfalls of the Ystervark which was withdrawn from service in 1991 soon after the Bosvark was slated to go into full production. The main downfall was the weapon system, a GAI-CO1 20 mm anti-aircraft gun, which had a small magazine size and a manual aiming system making it difficult to shoot down jets.
The origin of the Bosvark comes from the South African Border War (1966-1989) in which the South African Defense Force (SADF) was facing off against the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). During the war, the SADF captured large numbers of ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun systems from the MPLA who had received them from their Cuban and Soviet backers. The SADF used these during the war heavily in defending bases and training. At the war's end, those not used for training were stored for possible future use.
The ZU-23-2 is a Soviet-designed 23x152mm anti-aircraft twin-barrelled autocannon system mounted to a small trailer that converts to a stationary mount to fire the guns. This system is rather common with 140,000 being produced in the Soviet Union alone and has been used by many countries even to this day.
In early 1990, the Armaments Corporation of South Africa (ARMSCOR) called for proposals to mount the ZU-23-2 system on a vehicle to replace the Ystervark. The requirements stated that the vehicle must be mine-resistant and able to mount the system. Nick Conradi, a young engineer at Megkon Inc., developed a proposal to use the locally designed SAMIL-100 Kwêvoël 10-ton truck as a basis for the platform. The SAMIL-100 featured an armored cabin and a mine-protected chassis which met the requirements. The prototype was completed in early 1991 with successful trials in June of the same year. ARMSCOR recommended that the vehicle immediately be put into mass production with 36 vehicles being built.
The Bosvark is a great example of a military using what they have to make an effective vehicle. It is still in service to this day, although it has never seen combat. However, the SADF performs demos with the vehicle on their armed forces day.