Big Brother

Allow us to introduce Paramount’s latest dog of war: Mbombe 8

KEY FEATURES

GROSS WEIGHT KERB WEIGHT PAYLOAD MAX SPEED OPERATING RANGE BALLISTIC PROTECTION BLAST PROTECTION

A COUPLE OF YEARS BACK, at the Gerotek proving grounds near Pretoria, we had a memorable turn at the wheel of a Paramount Marauder, a vehicle ideally suited to rush hour traffic. Crushing rush hour traffic, that is. The Marauder is the smallest of the formidable armoured vehicles produced by the South African global defence and aerospace company and it’s now been joined by the biggest.

The new-generation 8x8 armoured vehicle was launched in Astana during the annual Kazakhstan Defence Exhibition.

Labelled a high speed, long-range, and low profile armoured vehicle, the Mbombe 8 is described by Paramount as representing the pinnacle of land system innovation. “It was designed to meet the worldwide demand for sophisticated and affordable military equipment that provides unrivalled protection for land forces personnel, in an era of unprecedented asymmetrical threats and conflict,” the company says.

Perhaps based on the theory that you can never bring too many wheels to a fight, increased interest in eight-wheeled armoured personel carriers has been observed.

Paramount Group, Africa’s largest privately owned defence and aerospace business, has a global footprint that covers a broad range of hardware in areas that range from from mine-protected wheeled vehicles to seagoing vessels and aviation. The group’s Founder and executive chairman, Ivor Ichikowitz, said that in less than a decade, Paramount had designed, developed and industrialised an armoured vehicle nearly every two years. “We have built a reputation for pushing the boundaries and pioneering armoured vehicles that are groundbreaking in their design, protection levels and mobility, without exception,” Ichikowitz said.

“South Africa has been leading the world in armoured vehicle and land mine protected technologies for decades. We have a truly remarkable skills base; we are home to some of the best engineers in the world, who have developed technologies that are used globally to save lives daily.”

WHAT’S INSIDE

Mine-resistant flat floor technology pioneered by Paramount is central to the design of the new 8x8 platform. Ben Jansen, CEO of Paramount’s armoured vehicle business, says the Mbombe 8 tops a range that includes 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 armoured fighting vehicles. What’s more, the range shares more than 80 per cent of common components to reduce through life costs and make for easier training and logistics. “This presents a unique opportunity for the global market, affording a prospective end-user of all three vehicles significant savings in the areas of maintenance and logistical support,” Jansen adds.

The Mbombe 8 is based on the design of the Mbombe 6, an infantry combat vehicle that employs a novel form factor to provide unprecedented levels of protection, while keeping its profile to a minimum. It also draws on the company’s experience of designing the highly effective and battle-tested Marauder and Matador mine-resistant vehicles.

“This highly advanced and comprehensive vehicle addresses the threats and operational requirements that are unique to the Commonwealth of Independent States region,” the company says, “and represents the innovation and transfer of technology at the heart of the strategic industrial partnership between Paramount Group and its partners in Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering.”

The first advanced prototype of the Mbombe 8 will soon start extensive mobility trials, and production will be undertaken in South Africa and Kazakhstan. For the record, the cooling systems and driveline have been tested and proven in winter conditions of -55 and desert conditions of +55.

Meanwhile, we sense that the 8x8 Mombe is itching to be driven by someone from Popular Mechanics. Is anyone out there listening…?