As such, when armed, the Ratel can offer varying levels of fire support to advancing infantry. Perhaps the single best selling point of such vehicles is their modular nature - a single chassis and hull that allows warplanners the ability to adapt their vehicles to suit operational needs. This also served to promote a rather tall target profile however. Their wheeled nature allows them access to many terrain types under their own power without the need for dedicated heavy land transports. They are lightly armored, making them agile and fast while also making them more susceptible to land mines, anti-tank weapons (missiles, rifles and cannon). Vehicles such as the Ratel present various advantages and disadvantages to military warplanners. To that end, the South Africans have since become something of experts in the field of wheeled armored vehicles - primarily where land mines are a concern - due to the types of 'Bush' conflicts regularly encountered in the region, a place where unconventional warfare has proven the norm. However, when the international community placed an arms embargo upon the country, the South Africa authorities had to look to indigenous solutions in an effort to fulfill growing military requirements. South Africa had long held a military and security tradition of procuring various armored wheeled vehicles throughout its history - mostly European in origin. It has since been surpassed by more modern breeds incorporating the latest in battlefield technologies, weaponry and survivability. For its time, the Ratel was one of the best - if not the best - armored wheeled vehicles anywhere in the world. South African armed forces are expected to procure some 264 examples of the newer 'Badger' and field it in various battlefield guises, in effect taking the mantel from the Ratel. Its long legacy has ensured it a place in South African Army lore though the Ratel is set to be replaced by the more modern Finnish Patria family of modular 8x8 wheeled vehicles.

For over thirty years, the vehicle has seen extensive service with the armed forces of South Africa, Jordan, Djibouti, Ghana and Morocco. Quantitative production then began in 1979. Design work on the type by Sandock-Austral began in 1968, producing the first prototype in 1974. The series was designed around the same wheeled chassis developed to undertake a variety of battlefield roles as required. The Ratel ('Honey Badger') Infantry Fighting Vehicle was a long-running family of 6圆 armored vehicles developed and produced in South Africa.

Military honey badger tank cost