Badger IFV
The Badger IFV is an 8-wheeled Infantry fighting vehicle designed by Denel Land Systems of South Africa. The Badger IFV is a modified and better protected version of the Finnish Patria AMV, tailored for South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and was modified for South African conditions. History The Badgers are intended to replace the South African Army's Ratel IFVs. Denel was selected to produce 264 Badgers under Project Hoefyster. The contract for the vehicles was signed in June 2007; at this time all were scheduled to be delivered by 2012. Project Hoefyster has been much-delayed, and as of August 2022 no Badgers had been delivered to the South African Army. The defenceWeb news service has reported that the delays are "largely due to state capture at Denel". In February 2022 Armscor recommended that Project Hoefyster be cancelled and the Ratels be upgraded instead of replaced. This was because the agency had judged that Denel lacked the staff needed to produce the Badgers, some of the vehicles' systems were obsolete and Denel was likely to lose money on the project. In July 2022 Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise stated that it was unlikely that any Badgers would be