View source for Olifant Mk.2

{{About
| about = British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the other version
| link = Olifant Mk.1A
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_olifant_mk_2
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Ixwa Strike"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''

'''Armour type:''' <!-- The types of armour present on the vehicle and their general locations -->
<!-- Example: * Rolled homogeneous armour (Front, Side, Rear, Hull roof)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Transmission area) -->

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' <br> ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' <br> ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' <!-- Any additional notes which the user needs to be aware of -->
<!-- Example: * Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, tracks are 30 mm thick, and torsion bars are 60 mm thick. -->

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,627|rbMinHp=929}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
{{main|GT-8 (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[GT-8 (105 mm)|105 mm GT-8]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 64 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+18° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 21.4 || 29.6 || 36.0 || 39.8 || 42.4 || rowspan="2" | 8.71 || rowspan="2" | 7.70 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 13.4 || 15.8 || 19.1 || 21.2 || 22.5
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:GT-8 (105 mm)/Ammunition|M456, M111, DM63}}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
<!-- '''Last updated: 2.19.0.40''' -->
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full<br>ammo
! 1st<br>rack empty
! 2nd<br>rack empty
! 3rd<br>rack empty
! 4th<br>rack empty
! 5th<br>rack empty
! 6th<br>rack empty
! 7th<br>rack empty
! 8th<br>rack empty
! Visual<br>discrepancy
|-
| '''64''' || 60&nbsp;''(+4)'' || 55&nbsp;''(+9)'' || 47&nbsp;''(+17)'' || 33&nbsp;''(+31)'' || 14&nbsp;''(+50)'' || 7&nbsp;''(+57)'' || 5&nbsp;''(+59)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+63)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Racks 6,7 and 8 are first stage ammo racks and total 13 shells.
* They get filled first when loading up the tank and emptied first when firing.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1 to 5 into rack 6, 7, and 8. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready rack.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
<!-- ''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.'' -->
{{main|Browning MG4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Browning MG4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm Browning MG4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 6,750 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->

'''Pros:'''

* M111 APFSDS round is a tier 1 module, and provides a large upgrade in lethality compared to stock HEATFS round
* Mobility is satisfactory when upgraded, allowing for reliable 30 km/h in cross-country performance with decent acceleration
* Access to laser rangefinder and 2nd generation gunner/commander thermals, allowing for quick and reliable target acquisition
* Has access to 105 mm DM63 APFSDS
* Good gun depression angle (-10°)

'''Cons:'''

* Poor stock mobility, sluggish acceleration
* Struggles to keep pace with other MBTs despite its more powerful engine
* Default HEATFS round, many opponents at its tier feature integrated composite armour or add-on ERA., resulting in poor lethality
* Add-on armour provides little protection against kinetic rounds, and offers inadequate defense against many chemical rounds of its tier
* Three out of four crew in a poorly armoured turret and a large driver-adjacent ammo rack result in poor survivability

== History ==
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
'''Development'''

The South African Defense Force (SADF) began planning to replace the Olifant Mk1B main battle tank (MBT) in the late 1980's. Foreign designs such as the French Leclerc and British Challenger 2 were studied and it was planned that the new MBT was to have an entirely new hull from the Olifant Mk1B. But, due to a greater need of the budget for the navy and air force, a new tank was scratched from plans in 1988. Instead, an upgrade of the Olifant Mk1B would have to suffice.

The main areas that were upgraded on the Olifant Mk2 were the mobility, crew ergonomics, and fire control system (FCS).

'''Design'''

'''General'''

The Olifant Mk2 maintains the standard crew of four and the general layout from the preceding Olifant variants but with improvements to specific areas such as mobility and fire control system (FCS).

For increased ergonomics, two water tanks are fitted in the turret to store a total of 101 liters of water for the crew. The water tanks can be accessed from the loader and commander's stations.

'''Mobility'''

One of the Olifant Mk2's two largest improvements over the Olifant Mk1B was its mobility. The engine was still the Continental 29 liter turbocharged air cooled engine, but it was modified to increase the horsepower output to 1,040 horsepower (an increase of 190 horsepower). The transmission of the Olifant Mk1B was retained, which had four forward and two reverse gears. The Olifant Mk2 could achieve a maximum speed of 58 km/h (the same speed as the Mk1B) but it accelerated 25% faster than the Mk1B. The improved torsion bar suspension of the Mk1B was also retained.

The fuel capacity of the Olifant Mk2 was reduced from 1,382 litres to 1,285 litres compared to the Mk1B. Despite the reduced fuel load, the maximum range remained at approximately 360 km - the same as on the Mk1B.

'''Armament'''

The armament of the Olifant Mk2 was retained from the Olifant Mk1B.

The main armament of the Olifant Mk2 consisted of a 105 mm GT3B rifled gun, which was a variant of the Royal Ordnance L7 that was produced in South Africa by Lyttleton Engineering Works (LEW). The gun was fitted with a thermal sleeve as standard.

Four types of ammunition were carried for the 105 mm gun: M9210 HE, M456 HEAT, M9718 APFSDS, and white phosphorus smoke shell. A total of 64 105 mm shells were carried in the tank.

The electrical turret and gun control system fitted to the Olifant Mk2 allowed for a full 360 degree rotation of the turret in 16 seconds. The extended turret bustle at the rear of the turret helped to increase space for storage and equipment, but more importantly it balanced out the heavy armour on the frontal side of the turret. This helped to reduce strain on the turret control system.

A new fire control system (FCS) was used that included hunter-killer capability, in which the gunner and commander could each search for targets and control the turret systems. The gunner's sight was fitted with thermal imaging and the commander also received an independent thermal viewer (CITV). The gunner was provided with a targeting screen that displayed the sight image along with the data from the ballistic computer and integrated laser rangefinder, and the commander could also view the image from the gunner's sight. The FCS included an automatic tracking function in which the turret would automatically track a target selected by the gunner or commander even while on the move. The gun was fully stabilized, allowing for a good hit-on-the-move capability and the FCS allowed a high accuracy in general.

Secondary armament was provided by a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun with 6,600 rounds of ammunition carried.

'''Armour'''

The armour of the Olifant Mk2 was identical to that of the Olifant Mk1B. The base armour was the same as on the Olifant Mk1A but a layer of passive composite armour was added (spaced from the base armour) on the turret and also on the upper glacis of the hull. The hull floor was changed to a double layered design in order to better protect against mines and explosives. The armoured sideskirts were also improved in regards to the Olifant Mk1A in order to increase protection against handheld anti-tank weapons such as the RPG-7.

A fire suppression system was installed in both the crew and engine compartments for automatic extinguishing of fires. Two banks of four smoke grenades each are fitted on each side towards the rear of the turret. An engine exhaust smoke system is fitted to allow the generation of a smoke screen by injecting fuel into the engine exhaust.

'''Production and Service'''

A total of 26 Olifant Mk2 tanks were built starting in 2005, entering service with the South African National Defense Forces (SANDF; replaced the SADF in 1994). Four of the Olifant Mk2 tanks were used for training as of 2018 and the other 22 were in storage. They had not yet seen combat.<ref>https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/modern/south-africa/Olifant-mk2-main-battle-tank/</ref>

== Media ==
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->

;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_olifant_mk_2 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|brTNf5hXVGM|'''The Shooting Range #242''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==
<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.'' -->
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

=== References ===
<references />

{{Britain medium tanks}}