Mechem NTW-20

The NTW-20 is an anti-materiel rifle developed in South Africa by Denel Mechem. Design work began in August 1995 under the "Aerotek" designation, with Tony Neophytou — co-designer of the Neostead combat shotgun — as the responsible engineer. A working prototype was completed four and a half months after the start of the programme, a schedule attributed to Neophytou's prior work on recoil reduction systems for helicopter turrets. To limit development effort, the project reused the barrel, bolt and barrel extension of the existing Vektor GA1 automatic cannon. Series production was undertaken by Denel Land Systems.

The rifle is a bolt-action weapon fed from a magazine that protrudes from the left side of the receiver. Recoil is managed by a muzzle brake fitted to the barrel, which absorbs an estimated half to three-fifths of the recoil impulse, and by a buffered slide within the receiver that carries the barrel and bolt group rearward under recoil. The weapon can be stripped into two loads and carried in two backpacks. On the convertible model, changing chambering requires exchanging the bolt, barrel, sighting equipment and magazine; the operation is performed in the field without specialised tools. Intended targets include parked aircraft, telecommunication masts, power lines, missile sites, radar installations, refineries, satellite dishes, gun emplacements, bunkers and personnel, engaged with a range of specialised projectiles.

Two production versions were built. One is chambered for the 20×110mm HS cartridge and is not convertible to other calibres. The other is chambered for 20×82mm and is also offered in 14.5×114mm, the two being interchangeable through a barrel and bolt assembly swap. The rifle entered service with the South African National Defence Force in 1998. Users include the South African Army and South African Special Forces, the Azerbaijani Land Forces, the Indian Army, the Malaysian Army, and in Indonesia the Taifib amphibious reconnaissance battalion of the Navy and Kopasgat of the Air Force. Denel Land Systems held a contract to supply anti-materiel rifles and self-propelled howitzers to the Indian Armed Forces, but was blacklisted by the Indian government following allegations that kickbacks had been paid to secure the anti-materiel rifle deal; the embargo was lifted in 2018 after investigations found the allegations to be false. In the interim, the Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli developed the Vidhwansak, an Indian anti-materiel rifle drawing heavily on the NTW-20, with development completed in November 2005. In August 2013 it became known that a South African Special Forces officer had used the rifle to make what was then the sixth longest recorded sniper kill, at 2,125 m.