From 1943 to 1944, as the development of the Universal Tank Family was in full spring, Azanian and Rhodesian planners began to evaluate the possibility of converting older models of the UT family into an armored transport for Infantry. That conversion, known as the Universal Carrier Mk.I, was envisioned as the British southern African answer to the question on strategic/tactical maneuverability against the armored forces of Volkist Germany. However, that project was cancelled during the summer of 1944 as both Rhodesia and Azania began to explore alternate development ideas for Armored vehicles leading to an end of the UT Program. Whereas development continued in Rhodesia, resulting in the 'Greyhound' armored vehicle which emphasized speed and durability in rough terrain. In Azania, the AC-47 Hopper was born, which emphasized greater importance on protection and range.

With a sustained on and off-road speed of 34 miles per hour, the Hopper is comparatively slower than her contemporaries due in large part to the thickness of her armor and weight of her engine. The decision to install the same engine as the Indlovu tanks was taken to standardize production and curtail the human and financial cost of maintenance. With universal parts between the two vehicles, engineer crews would be able to train to make quick repairs on both types of vehicle in half the time. There are three variants of the AC-47 Hopper; an armored personnel carrier (standard), an air defense variant featuring a twin 20mm turret, and an infantry support variant with a single 40mm turret. These vehicles are fully amphibious capable for interoperability between the Royal Azanian Marine Corps, and Royal Azanian Army - however, it is too heavy for air assault operations. The Hopper is a sturdy, reliable, and easily produced vehicle.