The Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique has acquired the Mwari aircraft designed by Paramount. The Mwari is a twin-turboprop aircraft that is used for a variety of missions, including surveillance, reconnaissance, and light attack.
The upgraded Mwari aircraft will be used by Mozambique. Mozambique’s military is the launch customer for Paramount’s Mwari.
The Mwari is marketed as a relatively inexpensive alternative to high-end military aircraft for surveillance, maritime patrol and counter-insurgency operations. It can also be used for training. The Mwari has been designed to easily perform multiple missions thanks to an innovative Interchangeable Mission Systems Bay (IMSB), located in the belly of the aircraft, providing near-endless sensor and payload options which can be integrated and be swapped out in less than two hours. Open-architecture and flexible systems allow for the quick and low-cost integration of new pods, avionics, cargo, special mission equipment, weapons and sensors.
At the end of 2021, DR Congo also placed an order for six Mwari aircraft units for the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo, while Mozambique received at least three aircraft a year later.
In March last year, it was revealed that the Mwari light attack and surveillance aircraft will soon be integrated with ISR and weapons systems by South African defence company Paramount for the launch customer.
Paramount announced in September last year that it has sealed deals with unnamed customers for nine of its Mwari turboprop ISR and light attack aircraft, stating that a total of nine customisable Mwaris were currently on order.
At the time, Paramount Aerospace Industries CEO Mike Levy said that the orders for nine new Mwaris for the two separate air forces represent an important milestone in Paramount Aerospace Industries’ commercial success and has resulted in full serial production of Mwaris at Paramount Group’s Wonderboom National Airport aircraft factory. Paramount Aerospace Industries CEO Mike Levy says the milestone is a “proud moment” for Paramount and Africa’s aerospace industry.
The Mwari has been seen operating in the restive Cabo Delgado region in Mozambique, although, there has been no official statement from Paramount regarding the deployment of the unarmed Mwari to the country.
In addition to the Mwari, Paramount is supplying its new Maatla light 4×4 protected vehicles to the DRC, with at least six vehicles seen in November last year on their way to the DRC by road. At the time of its launch last year, Paramount said the Maatla (meaning Power in Setswana) had already received orders for 50 vehicles from two customers.