The Unibuffel is a mine-protected wheeled

MRAP Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (MRAPV), also known as MRAP vehicle, is a type of armoured personnel carrier that is designed specifically to withstand land mines, improvised explosive device (IED) attacks, and ambushes to save troops' li ...

Infantry mobility vehicle An infantry mobility vehicle (IMV) is a four-wheel drive armored personnel carrier (APC) serving as an armed military transport, military patrol, reconnaissance or security vehicle. Those IMVs are distinct from 8-, 6-, and 4-wheeled APCs (su ...

used by the

Sri Lankan military The Sri Lanka Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka encompassing the Sri Lanka Army, the Sri Lanka Navy, and the Sri Lanka Air Force; they are governed by the Ministry of Defence (Sri Lank ...

, which is an improved version of the

Unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since Classical antiquity, antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn (anatomy), horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unico ...

, made by the Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. More than 53 Unibuffels had been manufactured as of 2006.

Production history

Although similar to the

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Buffel The Buffel (English: ''Buffalo'') is an infantry mobility vehicle used by the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War. The Buffel was also used as an armoured fighting vehicle and proved itself in this role. It replaced ...

, it is built entirely by the Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (SLEME). Initial research and development started in 1997 in an effort to field modernized MRAPs in Sri Lankan military service. First production started in 2000. In 2019, SLEME began to upgrade Unibuffels with blast shock absorption seats and better protection. In 2020 full Air Conditioning was added to those being sent for UN peacekeeping operations in Mali.

Combat Usage

The Unibuffel proved quite successful in the Sri Lankan civil war, it could transport troops through rough terrain with ease, and had good protection, it participated in all Sri Lankan Army operations 2005 onwards. When Sri Lankan troops joined

United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti The United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (), also known as MINUSTAH, an acronym of its French name, was a United Nations, UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti from 2004 to 2017. It was composed of 2,366 military personnel and 2,533 police, s ...

, 16 Unibuffels was deployed to serve as their APC. In June, 2020 nine Unibuffels were deployed to Mali under urgent operational requirements for

peacekeeping operations Peacekeeping comprises activities, especially military ones, intended to create conditions that favor lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed w ...

Design

The Unibuffel has an enclosed troop compartment and has gun mounts on the front and back to equip it with machine guns.Camp & Heitman, p. 239 The Typhoon 25mm cannon can also be equipped as a port defense weapon on a flatbed version. Vehicles were powered by a TATA engine which can deal easily with rough terrain. Bulletproof glass was initially imported from China on a needed basis but later versions use glass manufactured by local suppliers.

Variants

The variants of the Unibuffel consist of following categories, * Mark I * Mark II * Mark II Improvised Version (Designed and Manufactured for UN Peacekeeping Missions)

Operators

* ** **: Known to be used by the Naval Patrolmen. ** ** Special Task Force: 15 Unibuffels handed to the STF.

Production history

Combat Usage

Design

Variants

Operators

See also

References

Further reading