Eland Mk7 The Eland is an air portable light armoured car based on the Panhard AML . Designed and built by South Africa for long - range reconnaissance , it mounts either a 60mm breech - loading mortar or a GIAT 90mm gun on a very compact chassis . Although lightly armoured , the vehicle ' s permanent 4X4 drive makes it faster over flat terrain than many tanks . Production history . Between 1962 and 1964 , France approved a licence for the domestic production of the Panhard AML in South African plants . Imported as the VA ( " Vehicle " A ) Mk1 , original AMLs from France and their local counterparts were first offered to the South African Defence Force in 1964 . Upon undergoing several upgrades to the steering ( Mk2 ) and brake system ( Mk3 ) , each vehicle was also equipped with a custom 2 . 5 litre 4 - cylinder petrol engine which superseded the air - cooled French models ; electric clutches were concurrently replaced by more conventional hydraulic systems ( Mk4 , Mk5 ) . While South Africa ' s AMLs remained externally similar to their Panhard counterparts , up to two - thirds of their parts and design were of indigenous origin by 1970 . Subsequent models were thus officially designated " Eland " . The Eland now formed the armoured backbone of the South African Army , although as early as 1969 SADF officials were discussing its replacement or supplementation with something more suited to countering tank warfare ; at the time , Elands were considered no more than scout cars for rural patrols and border security . Having undergone extensive upgrade programmes in the early 1970s , there were now 369 Eland - 60s and 131 Eland - 90s under active service . Anticipating conventional military threats to South Africa from abroad , the SADF ordered another 356 vehicles and began fitting the existing fleet with ENTAC missiles for deployment in anti - tank roles . Elands were first tested in combat against Cuban and MPLA forces in Angola during 1975 ' s Operation Savannah . Their crews found fighting capability constrained when operating on terrain better suited for tracked vehicles , and criticised the lowness of the body , which made sighting difficult over thick bush . Additionally , five Elands were immobilised in hostile territory due to mechanical failure , at least three of them on roads . To minimise similar problems on future campaigns , the SADF began showing interest in a more dependable alternative operating for extended periods without logistical backup : Ratel . The final Eland variant to be released was " Eland Mk7 " , introduced in 1979 . It included a new transmission , a turbocharged motor with power pack configuration , a lengthened hull , and a larger turret to accommodate taller South African servicemen . Some were immediately exported to Zimbabwe - Rhodesia to replace the older Mk4s then in service with the Rhodesian Security Forces , while others went on to serve throughout the remainder of the Angolan bush war . Since 1990 , surviving Elands have been relegated to reserve roles or sold off to foreign governments and corporations ; the South African National Defence Force has adopted the eight - wheeled Rooikat in their place . Design . External . A boxy , squat , four - wheeled vehicle , the Eland ' s hull slopes downwards at the front and rear . There are semi - circular wheel arches with stowage bins adjacent to each rear wheel . Sand channels are mounted across the front of the hull , with headlamps located on either side of the towing shackle , beneath the channels . There are three periscopes fixed to the driver ' s top hatch . The gun turret , which overhangs at the rear , is shallow and rounded , with sloping sides and a prominent sighting periscope to the right . There is a domed cupola over the commander ' s hatch . Armament . The Eland may carry one 90mm ( 3 . 54 in . ) cannon with 29 rounds , or a breech - loaded 60mm ( 2 . 36 in . ) HB 60 mortar with 56 rounds , in addition to 2 , 400 and 3 , 800 rounds stored for the machine guns , respectively . Two smoke dischargers are located on either side of the manually - powered turret . Eland - 90s may be assisted via a non - stabilised optical fire control system . Combat history . Affectionately known as " Noddy Cars " to their crews , SADF Elands were deployed extensively throughout the Angolan civil and South African border wars . During Operation Savannah , they proved more than a match for Cuban T - 34 s and wreaked devastation on lighter BRDM - 2 reconnaissance vehicles and PT - 76 s . Later in the conflict , Eland - 90s often fought heavier armour to a standstill by outmaneuvering enemy formations , striking from the flank , and breaking contact before a counterattack could be launched . During the Rhodesian Bush War , RhACR manned Eland - 90s in several engagements with ZIPRA , ZANLA , and Mozambican troops . Eland - 60s were used for airfield security , although some did support mechanized operations in 1978 . The armoured cars were directed to patrol particularly dangerous regions such as the Honde Valley , and often operated with little to no infantry support . Late in the war , Rhodesian engineers proved that even AP rounds fired from an AK - 47 could sufficiently penetrate an Eland ' s frontal armour , but crewmen conceded that this disadvantage was offset by the vehicle ' s speed and weapon range . The Zimbabwe Defence Forces subsequently deployed Eland - 90s against ZIPRA dissidents in Bulawayo during 1981 ' s Entumbane Uprising , destroying three BTR - 152 s and a BRDM . At least 20 Zimbabwean Elands also saw action when the ZDF participated in the Second Congo War . Because the Eland is widely regarded as a cheap and superior alternative to improvised technical s in harsh African conflict zones , it remains popular with several sub - Saharan armies and insurgent groups for use in fire - support or anti - infantry roles . In popular culture . Several Eland - 90s make an appearance in " Call of Duty : Black Ops II " , battling FAPLA troops during a fictitious engagement of the Angolan Civil War . In the Larry Bond novel " Vortex " , an Eland squadron annihilates a unit of attacking T - 62 tanks during a hypothetical SADF invasion of Namibia . Eland - 90s are prominently featured throughout the storyline . Eighteen Elands cannibalised for Ratel parts are surreptitiously appropriated from the SANDF for a mercenary unit in " The Liberators " , by Tom Kratman .