Sandock-Austral was a South African defence company formed through the 1971 merger of the Austral armaments company and Sandock Ltd dockyards,
as a subsidiary of the
Gencor mining group.
The company was absorbed into
Land Systems OMC
Land Systems OMC is a South African company that produces a range of armoured vehicles which have been successfully exported and are in service with, amongst others, the U.S., Canadian and South African militaries. It is a division of Denel SOC L ...
, part of
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...
.
Sandock-Austral has developed a number of notable products, such as:
* The ''
Ratel
The honey badger (''Mellivora capensis''), also known as the ratel ( or ), is a mammal widely distributed across Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the only living species in both the genus ''Mellivora'' and the subfami ...
'' infantry fighting vehicle.
* The ''
Eland Mk2'' armoured car.
* The ''
Mamba Mk2'' and ''Romad'' series of mine-protected armoured personnel carriers.
It was also responsible for the construction of the ''
SAS Drakensberg
SAS ''Drakensberg'' (A301) is a fleet replenishment ship (AOR) of the South African Navy (SAN), with the primary role of assisting and supporting the SAN's combat vessels at sea. Built by the Sandock Austral Shipyards in Durban, it is the large ...
'', South Africa's most sophisticated indigenous warship.
References
*
Government-owned companies of South Africa
Defence companies of South Africa
Defunct companies of South Africa
{{SouthAfrica-mil-stub