Paramount Group has announced a new armour add-on for the Mbombe 4 MRAP. (Paramount Group)
South Africa's Paramount Group has created a new add-on armour package for the Mbombe 4 mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) 4×4 vehicle, Janes has learnt.
The new package has, according to the company, bolstered the armour protection of the vehicle to full NATO STANAG 4569 Level 3 for ballistic protection, with certification being provided by South Africa's Armscor.
According to Paramount Group, the new add-on system is “designed to be quickly replaceable in the field”, and provides “a lightweight shielding system that adds the least possible weight to the vehicle while providing maximum security against multi-hit ballistic threats, artillery shell fragments, and close-proximity IED [improvised explosive device] explosions, as examples”.
The Mbombe 4 successfully completed independent blast testing in 2019, receiving certification from South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for protection to NATO STANAG 4569 levels M4a and M4b for blast protection. Testing at the time included the detonation of three 10 kg TNT charges under the wheels and hull and one 50 kg side blast test to replicate an IED strike.
A company spokesperson said that a programme to take the vehicle to a full Level 4 protection could be possible if a customer requirement emerged.
The Mbombe 4 features a flat-floor design, as well as a rear-door ramp. The vehicle has a payload capacity of 2.3 tonnes, an operating range of 800 km, and a burst speed of 140 km/h. The United Arab Emirates ordered four vehicles for testing and evaluation in 2019, and Paramount Group also signed an agreement in February 2021 with India's Bharat Forge for the in-country production of a localised variant, the Kalyani M4, for the Indian Army.
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