Comments on: Pookie Power!

By: Tim Lambon

Tim Lambon — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:40:22 +0000

Trevor Davies Engineering, Salisbury (now Harare)manufactured the Pookie. Between ’76 and ’80 they built 76 vehicles and I don’t think any of them detonated a mine. However, twelve were destroyed in ambushes and the like, with two fatalities — one from an RPG strike and the other a remotely detonated TMH43.
I operated with one of these in Op Thrasher, Zimunya around Easter of ’78 and then on numerous occasions thereafter. It’s greatest drawback was the drag created by the wide Formula 1 tyres. You couldn’t turn the steering wheel to abruptly of the steering tie rods would bend and you’d end up incapacitated with one wheel at right angles to the axis of travel! In the end the drivers started carrying multiple spares of the tie rods as the repair was a quick operation!
Interestingly I’ve operated a lot in Iraq through the years before and since the 2003 invasion and was interested to watch the slow adaption of the US forces to their un-anticipated battlefield conditions. I first saw the Meerkat and knew immediately that it’s origins were back on the dusty tracks we drove in Rhodesia! That the Meerkat that the US is using now is made for them by the South African defence industry RSD Dorbyl, can leave us in no doubt that all these years later Rhodesia has had a role to play in modern warfare!

By: Gary Smith

Gary Smith — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 04:53:53 +0000

I was one of the engineers who worked on the Pookie in the bush war. There were considerably more than 5 Pookies built — probably closer to 20.

By: Andre

Andre — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:01:55 +0000

History — the source of knowledge…
It never hearts to look back and see if someone already invented the WHEEL, doesn’t it?
Andre

By: tesla

tesla — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:09:13 +0000

It’s pretty impressive what countries like Rhodesia and South Africa were able to develop with very limited budgets. There are a lot of lessons that can be learned from studying these countries.

By: Wembley

Wembley — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:56:16 +0000

Although it’s in popular circulation, that’s not a real Da Vinci quote -
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:47:25 +0000

There are currently 2 EOD vehicles that surpasse this design that have been in use in Iraq since 2004. One is the Meerkat (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/ivmmd.htm) and the other is the Buffalo (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/gstamids-0.htm). The Meerkat looks alot like the pookie and is very capable, has only one occupant and can hall an array of detectors and bomb handling equipment that the occupant can control inside a V-hull shaped cabin. It can also tow some trailers with more equipment for mine/IED clearing. The Buffalo can seat six and has a 30 foot extendable arm with a scoop type claw and a zoom camera at the end for remote close up shots. Both of these vehicles are of South African design, born from the same problems with hidden mines. I’m not sure of the Meerkat, but the Buffalo is currently built in the US

By: stephen russell

stephen russell — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 04:41:35 +0000

Time to reuse & recycle this for our forces in Iraq.
More jobs.
Needed.