South Africa’s leading arms maker Paramount, has announced a series of new additions to its battle-proven next-generation 6×6 Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV), the Mbombe 6.
The new enhanced variant, Mbombe 6 Mark 3 is in production for customers as the global armoured vehicle market is undergoing a monumental shift and governments across Europe are bolstering their land forces and indigenous production capabilities, in response to heightened global tensions intensified by the Ukraine-Russian conflict.
Standing at the forefront of armoured vehicle technologies, the Mbombe family (4×4, 6×6, 8×8) reflects the evolving demands of the global battlefield. Its advanced construction offers high levels of maneuverability, ease of integration of wide ranging weapon systems and outstanding protection levels, ensuring the safety of military personnel.
The Mbombe 6 has been supplied to four countries located in Africa, the Middle East, Latin-America and Asia. It has also been successfully produced in Kazakhstan as part of Paramount’s portable production model with Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering.
The Mbombe 6 ‘Mark 3’ reflects Paramount’s commitment to perpetual innovation and interoperability. The platform boasts a redesigned electrical system with a focus on enhanced driver ergonomics, the adoption capability of more commercially available components, EMI-compliance, complete with a new interior layout offering greater functionality and space utilization.
The enhancements also include increased engine bay protection and recovery capabilities with the addition of a new heavy-duty front mounted bumper, complete with integrated recovery points and an updated electric winch.
Deon Grobler, CEO of Paramount Land Systems said: “Paramount has always been at the vanguard of innovation, particularly in the realm of armoured vehicle design and manufacturing. Leveraging our decades of experience, we’ve crafted the Mbombe vehicle family to meet the demands of the modern battlefield. The enhancements to the Mbombe 6 will further cement the warrior reputation of this pioneering and battle-proven platform.”
The 6×6 Mbombe ICV is a highly agile low-profile infantry fighting vehicle, able to carry considerable payloads over all types of terrain. It can be configured as an armoured personnel carrier or armoured fighting vehicle and offers its end-user unrivaled protections in the combat theatre.
The Mbombe 6 offers next generation resilience against landmines, IEDs, side blasts and RPG attacks, achieved by flat-floor mine technology that provides outstanding mine protection without resorting to a traditional V-shape design. The platform’s low silhouette also offers a reduced target, while the armoured hull provides protection against ballistic attacks (Scalable ballistic protection to STANAG 4569) and anti-tank land mine explosions (STANAG level 4a and 4b).
The 6X6 Mbombe 6 is steadily enjoying some export success, such as in April when the Ecuadorian Army received the first batch of Mbombe 6×6 armored vehicles from South Africa’s Paramount Group. This followed an announcement by Paramount that the Mbombe 6, has been ordered by national defence forces in Latin America and the Southern African Development Community (SADEC).
In 2019, Jordan delivered an unknown number of the Paramount Mbombe 6×6 armoured vehicle to Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) when the LNA, launched an offensive to control Tripoli.
More recently, Ukraine has turned to Paramount Group, for the procurement of the cutting-edge Mbombe 6 6×6 armoured vehicles. The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, witnessed a demonstration of these vehicles on April 18, 2024, alongside other modernized military equipment.
However, it is not yet certain if Ukraine would opt to procure the vehicle.