| title (item) | field_cer_web | field_cer_navbox | |
|---|---|---|---|
| G6 (Rhino) | Denel |
Together with the fighter-bombers of the SAAF, the towed G-5-45 long-range 155mm guns, developed in South Africa from a design by Canadian
engineer Gerald Vincent Bull and financed by Iraq, dominated the battlefield around Cuito Cuanavale. Starting in 1979, ARMSCOR installed this gun on a three-axis/six wheel chassis, resulting in the G-6-45 self-propelled vehicle, four of which were undergoing testing as of 1987. In November of the same year, the SADF rushed them into action in Angola, where they usually cooperated with special forces who acted as forward observers, and played a crucial role in keeping the Cuito Cuanavale airport effectively closed for at least a month. As far as is known, all four G-6s were painted in a ‘rather reddish’ mid-stone (BS381C/360) overall, and wore alpha-numeric insignia applied on the cover of the front pair of hydraulically-operated stabiliser legs. (Artwork by David Bocquelet)