Privately owned South African defence equipment manufacturer and supplier, The Paramount Group, shot down reports of its Mbombe 6 infantry combat vehicle (ICV) being in widespread service with the ground forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence earlier this week shared images of a Mbombe 6 painted with Ukrainian flags and equipped with a Ukrainian turret, prompting reports that multiple vehicles are in service with the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade of Ukraine.
A Paramount spokesman told defenceWeb it appeared the information used in the latest reports is misleading as there was and is only one Mbombe 6 in Ukraine – a demonstration vehicle – exported with full documentation ahead of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
The demo ICV was fitted with a Ukrainian made Spys-Syntez turret equipped with a 30 mm cannon and inspected by what Paramount said was “the Ukrainian military’s Commander-in-Chief” along with other weapons and equipment in April this year.
In a report dated 19 August, Global Defense News has it “South African Mbombe 6 armoured vehicles fitted with locally developed BM-5 turret (sic)” are deployed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s armed forces. It gives no indication of the number of Mbombe 6 ICVs in service. The Defense Post follows much the same line in a report headlined “Ukraine operating South African Mbombe 6 armoured fighting vehicle” stating one South African ICV was in service with the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade’s Edelweiss unit.
Paramount also debunked reports that the Mbombe 6 was being licensed built in Ukraine. The company emphasised that the vehicle was sent to Ukraine with all the necessary National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) permits from the South African government but could not return due to the conflict. Paramount said permit validity had been extended to next year as a result.
The Mbombe 6 was launched in 2010 and since then has been ordered by Ecuador and Jordan. Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE) is building the Mbombe 6 and 8 as the Barys 6 and 8 vehicles for the Kazakh Ministry of Defence.
The Mbombe 6 weighs 17.3 tonnes empty and has a payload of 5.2 tonnes. The vehicle can carry three crew and eight soldiers. Its hull meets STANAG 4569 Level 4, which means the vehicle can withstand a 10 kg TNT blast under its hull or any wheel station. Ballistic protection is to Level 3.
The Mbombe family (4×4 Mbombe 4, 6×6 Mbombe 6, and 8×8 Mbombe 8) features a flat mine-protected floor, giving a lower and better stability than V-shaped armoured hulls. All three models share 80% common components to reduce through life costs and make training and logistics easier. A six-cylinder diesel gives a top speed of more than 110km/h.
At the DSEI show last year, Paramount said that its Mbombe 6 has been ordered by national defence forces in Latin America and in the Southern African Development Community (SADEC). More than 20 of its next-generation infantry combat vehicles were then in production, with deliveries underway, the company said at the time.
