Equipment of the Border War

Abstract

The counter-insurgency war fought along the border between Namibia and Angola in the 1970s and 1980s brought forth a range of new equipment, some of which is still in service today, but some of which is long forgotten. The South African Defence Force (SADF), as it then was, started off ill-equipped and had to scramble somewhat to meet the demands of a new war, but it ended the war with one of the best-equipped small armies in the world, as well as an air force with some very useful weapons optimised for this type of warfare. The Navy was not as lucky, being something of a stepchild during a war that involved mainly ground and air forces.