Atlas Commando was a light infantry regiment of the South African Army.

The Atlas Commando was formed to assign males of military service age to meet their commitments at the Atlas Aircraft Corporation[attribution needed], a facility considered important to their Air Force's equipment requirements.

During this era, the unit was mainly engaged in area force protection, search and cordons as well as other assistance to the local police.

As an urban unit, this commando was also tasked with protecting strategic facilities as well as quelling township riots especially during the State of Emergency in the 1980s.

[1][2] The Commando system was phased out between 2003 and 2008 "because of the role it played in the apartheid era", according to the Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula.