DSEI 2023: Paramount announces Mbombe 6 vehicle orders

A Paramount Mbombe 6 with a Jordanian Snake Head turret. (Paramount Group)

South African defence company Paramount announced during the DSEI 2023 exhibition held in London that it has secured two orders for its 6×6 Mbombe 6 armoured vehicle, with 20 presently in production and deliveries under way. The company said these are the third and fourth customers for the Mbombe 6, with one of the others known to be Kazakhstan, where it is locally produced as the Barys 6.

Paramount identified the new customers only as defence forces in Latin America and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a regional organisation that has 16 members that include the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Mozambique, which have placed recent orders for other Paramount products.

Mozambique has been confirmed as the first customer for the company's Mwari light-attack aircraft and the DRC is reportedly the second, with six on order. TheMozambique Defence Armed Forces (FADM) uses Paramount Marauder armoured vehicles, while the DRC has been revealed to be one of the customers for the company's Maatla light armoured vehicle.

Maatlas painted blue were seen alongside 4×4 Mbombe 4s in photographs posted on social media in April by an Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) soldier. The photographs appeared to be taken at a training facility in Kinshasa where Paramount instructors were present.

Paramount says the Mbombe family, which also includes an 8×8 variant, shares 80% component commonality, resulting in considerable maintenance and training savings for operators.

Janes