Rooikat Mk.1D
| This page is about the British light tank Rooikat Mk.1D. For other versions, see Rooikat (Family). |
Contents
Description
In 1976, the South African Armoured Corps issued a new project for a "New Generation Armoured Car", intended to replace the 4x4 Eland 90 in service as they were struggling to provide adequate support for the heavier Ratel IFVs in tank warfare. Following the inadequate performance of the initial prototype series, new specifications were issued, and new prototypes were designed by Sandock-Austral with assistance from German firm Thyssen-Henschel, leading to the light Class 1 ("Cheetah Mk1") and medium Class 2 ("Cheetah Mk2") fitted with a modification of the 76 mm OTO Melara naval cannon, as well as the heavy Class 3 ("Bismarck") fitted with a 105 mm L7. While the Class 2 was originally designed in two variants — the 2A having the engine at the front to allow a rear compartment for carrying infantry, and the 2B with a conventional rear-engined setup — such plans were later scrapped in favour of creating a vehicle more focused on reconnaissance and anti-tank capabilities, retaining the Ratel for the IFV role. The Class 2B prototype was selected for development, and limited production for further testing began in 1987, when it was christened the Rooikat. Mass-production began in mid 1990.
Introduced in Update 1.95 "Northern Wind", the Rooikat Mk.1D is a powerful and nimble light tank. It has excellent mobility, allowing it to easily set up ambush positions, flank, or reposition after sniping. While the gun somewhat lacks in post-penetration damage, the APFSDS shell's penetration is sufficient for even the heaviest opponents that it may face. Coupled with access to a two-plane stabiliser and laser rangefinder, the Rooikat excels in long range sniping, and can also perform well in closer range engagements, although it risks having to take multiple shots to take out a target.
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour on the Rooikat chassis is light, but reasonably good. It will be safe from heavy machine guns from almost all the angles. While theoretically the 12.7 mm rounds can penetrate flat sides from up to 500 m and damage them from some angles when closer than 100 m, that almost never happens. 20 mm autocannons and above will be able to penetrate almost anywhere, and so SPAA and cannon-armed aircraft will be a significant threat.
The Rooikat Mk.1D has two hull-mounted smoke groups and ESS, making the tank difficult to finish off and allowing it to use smoke offensively whenever it's needed. Unfortunately, the Rooikat Mk.1D does not have thermal scope to see through ESS in RB, while many enemies do.
Protection against heavier weapons vary greatly depending on the enemy skill and ammunition type.
Against big kinetic shells: While there are three crew members sitting in a straight line when facing the tank straight, the design of the tank is nonetheless confusing to people which do not bother to learn enemy tanks layouts - the turret and the driver crew are located at different heights, allowing for random misses and there is only one small fuel tank, which is difficult to hit on accident. Furthermore, the ammo racks are small and the last one is located on a side that almost no one ever fires at. By not charging at enemy tanks directly and taking less ammunition, the Rooikat Mk.1D can sometimes survive up to 20 kinetic shots from up to 3 tanks at the same time.
Against chemical ammunition: This vehicle is vulnerable to overpressure, and its hull roof can be overpressurized by HEAT or HESH if hit correctly, so anyone actually expecting Rooikat Mk.1D can instantly destroy it. Therefore, the Rooikat Mk.1D's key to survival is mobility.
The Rooikat Mk.1D also comes stock with a desert yellow camouflage, which can be problematic on certain maps.
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret, cupola)
- Wheel (tires, torsion bars)
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 25 mm (77°) Upper glacis - Centre 10 mm (75°) Upper glacis - Sides 30 mm (23°) Lower glacis - Centre 15 mm (23°) Lower glacis - Sides |
20 mm (25°) Top 25 mm (0-9°) Bottom |
20 mm Upper plate 20 mm (29°) Lower plate |
25 mm (13°) Front glacis - Centre 10 mm (15°) Front glacis - Sides 20 mm (0-13°) Driver compartment 10 mm (0-17°) Crew compartment 5 mm Radiator vents |
| Turret | 25 mm (26-28°) Turret front 25 mm Gun mantlet - external 30 mm (cylindrical) Gun mantlet - internal |
25 mm (12-16°) | 15 mm (15°) | 15 mm (10°) Front 10 mm (0-11°) Rear |
| Cupola | 25 mm (cylindrical) Base 25 mm (spherical) Dome |
25 mm (spherical) Dome | ||
Notes:
- Tires and torsion bars are 10 mm thick.
- The storage box behind the turret is 5 mm thick.
- The internal part of the gun mantlet overlaps with parts of the turret front.
Mobility
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 134 | 41 | 26.5 | 879 | 1,082 | 33.17 | 40.83 |
| Realistic | 121 | 37 | 501 | 567 | 18.91 | 21.4 | |
The mobility on the Rooikat Mk.1D is best described as good. It's decently fast, both on and off-road, but suffers from a poor turning circle and a somewhat under-powered engine when stock. Users should not be surprised if they have trouble climbing even mild grades from a standstill and it is not uncommon to need to back up and gain some momentum before being able overcome some hills.
In arcade mode, the Rooikat Mk.1D is one of the fastest tanks in the game, and it's basically impossible to outrace it if there is an asphalt road nearby, which is expected from a wheeled tank, however it might crash into a wall and flip over if forced to turn while driving at a maximum speed.
Areas with mud (very specific places on maps like the hill entrances on White Rock Fortress or some river banks) must be avoided, as the Rooikat Mk.1D nearly instantly slows down to 8 km/h while moving through it until all of the wheels are freed. Fortunately, mud is very visible and its generally possible to drive around it.
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Main armament
The Rooikat Mk.1D is armed with the Denel 76 mm GT-4 cannon. As far as game-play goes, it is essentially a hand-loaded version of the OTO-Melara 76 mm/62 gun found on the OTOMATIC. It fires the same APFSDS and has HE with similar performance to the shell found on the OTOMATIC, albeit not VT-fused and thus far less useful. Its APFSDS has the ability to frontally penetrate any opponent in its battle-rating bracket, although the odd Maus may be troublesome, particularly if it is angled.
It has a base 8.7 second reload, which can be reduced to 6.7s through a fully trained and aced crew. Unfortunately this reload is exactly as long as the reload on 105mm armed vehicles it may face in its battle-rating bracket such as the Leopard series, OF-40 series, Centauro, and AMX-30 series. It also has the somewhat questionable accuracy of the OTO-Melara 76 mm, so do not be surprised if its shots aren't pinpoint, though this matters more for shooting down the odd helicopter than for tanks. It gets access to a laser rangefinder to make long range shots easier which is useful on large maps like Sinai. It has decent turret traverse and good firing angles, so its quite flexible in terms of positioning.
| 76 mm GT-4 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 48 | -10°/+20° | ±180° | Two-plane | 38.1 | 52.7 | 64.0 | 70.8 | 75.3 | 8.71 | 7.70 | 7.10 | 6.70 |
| Realistic | 23.8 | 28.0 | 34.0 | 37.6 | 40.0 | ||||||||
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| 76/62 APFSDS | APFSDS | 311 | 308 | 301 | 291 | 281 | 271 |
| 76/62 HE | HE | 20 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 14 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| 76/62 APFSDS | APFSDS | 1,615 | 2.18 | - | - | - | 78° | 80° | 81° | |||
| 76/62 HE | HE | 915 | 6.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 969.12 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | 46 (+2) | 37 (+11) | 29 (+19) | 19 (+29) | 11 (+37) | 1 (+47) | Yes |
Notes:
- Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
- Rack 6 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 10 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
- This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 6 - 1 - 2 - etc. until 5.
- Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-5 into rack 6. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.
- The visual discrepancy concerns the total number of shells as well as the number of shells per rack:
- 49 shells are modeled but you can pack only 48 shells.
- Rack 1 is modeled as 4 shells but contains only 3 shells.
Machine guns
| 7.62 mm Browning MG4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 3,750 (250) | 500 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
The Rooikat Mk.1D should be played either as long range support (with the help of the scouting mechanic) or in quick flanking manoeuvres.
As a wheeled vehicle, the mobility is excellent and allows the Rooikat to get to ambush or sniping spots very quickly before the slower and heavier opponents show up. Although the gun penetrates far above its weight for its calibre, the post-penetration damage leaves something to be desired and can punish careless point-and-click targeting. Drivers of the Rooikat must take this in mind and put extra thought on where on a target they should aim, as its rather long reload does not leave room for error with such limited post-pen damage.
If a player decides to snipe with the Rooikat, they should adopt a "shoot-and-scoot" strategy: shoot an opponent, fall back behind cover and relocate to a new firing spot to avoid retaliation. An opponent returning fire will most likely not have any issues taking you out within 1 or 2 shots.
While it's not very recommended, the Rooikat Mk.1D can quickly rush down enemy sniper tanks and attack them at close range. Double smoke screens also help with this, as they can be used to force snipers to abandon their cover. It is possible to attack capture points in the same manner if there are allies to cover the reckless light tank. Smokes might prolong tanks life for up to 2 minutes, sometimes allowing the Rooikat Mk.1D to steal a victory.
It is important to not bully ATGM tanks unless the kill is guaranteed, because they will vaporize any light tanks that are a nuisance to them immediately and the small APFSDS of the Rooikat Mk.1D can, against all odds, shatter upon hitting some ATGM tanks or disable only one of the crew members, ultimately failing to stop them from retaliating.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Fast ground vehicle (120 km/h in RB), even with stock modules it can often drive off-road as fast as an upgraded BMP-2
- Access to APFSDS rounds
- Sides and front can stop .50 cals at slight angle or at 100+ metres
- Laser Rangefinder helps with aiming at any range
- Very good reverse speed at -43 km/h
- Has good zoom variety for a light tank, having X8-12 zoom compared to usual X7-8 of light tanks at the rank
- Incredible stock grind experience thanks to stock APFSDS and good gun handling & excellent speed on the appropriate terrain
- Access to a drone (rank 6)
Cons:
- Despite the indicated top speed, the vehicle will rarely get to 100+ km/h and there aren't many maps that allow to use it in a meaningful way either
- Not as good at reversing as other British light tanks or the Object 906
- Weak armour overall, it will succumb to any autocannon fire instantly
- Vehicle will not be able to stabilise the gun at speeds of 75+ km/h (46.6+ mph)
- The 76/62 APFSDS has very punctual post-pen damage. It's not uncommon to take 3+ rounds to finish a target off
- Reload rate is rather average - mediocre when taking into account the lackluster sabot damage
- Has a rather large turning circle, so turning around in confined areas may require 3-point turns.
History
Devblog
During the mid 1970s, the South African armed forces issued a specification which kickstarted the development of the "New Generation Armoured Car" project. The aim of the project, as the name suggests, was the development of a new heavy armoured car that would replace dated existing designs in the near future.
First test beds were developed in the late 1970s, intended to primarily trial various designs for mobility. At the same time, South Africa was involved in some local conflicts with the neighbouring state of Angola during the mid '70s - mid '80s, further shaping the development of the ongoing project.
In the early 1980s, having sought knowledge and expertise from German engineers, several prototype designs were built and tested. Among them, the eight-wheeled 'Cheetah Mk.2' armed with a 76 mm gun was selected as the winner and was subsequently procured by the South African army. Small scale production began in the late 1980s, with the Cheetah Mk.2 officially receiving the name 'Rooikat' after entering service. Following initial limited production runs, mass production commenced in mid 1990, which led to a total of over 240 Rooikats being produced.
In the early 2000s, the Rooikat 76 Mk.1D was developed under a modernisation program, becoming the most modern modification of the vehicle. The upgrade introduced several smaller improvements, such as improved commander optics and number of smoke launchers as well as others. Over 170 Rooikat 76 Mk.1Ds serve with the South African army today.
Media
- Skins
- Images
- Videos
See also
- Other vehicles of similar configuration and role
External links
| Britain light tanks | |
|---|---|
| A13 | A13 Mk I · A13 Mk I (3rd R.T.R.) · A13 Mk II · A13 Mk II 1939 |
| A15 | Crusader II · Crusader "The Saint" · Crusader III |
| A17 | Tetrarch I |
| IFV | Warrior · Desert Warrior (Kuwait) |
| Wheeled | Daimler Mk II · AEC Mk II · Fox · Vickers Mk.11 |
| Other | VFM5 |
| South Africa | |
| SARC | SARC MkIVa · SARC MkVI (2pdr) · SARC MkVI (6pdr) |
| Ratel | Ratel 90 · Ratel 20 |
| Rooikat | Rooikat Mk.1D · Rooikat 105 · Rooikat MTTD |
| Other | Concept 3 · Eland 90 Mk.7 |
| USA | Stuart I · Stuart III |
