Armored car Mbombe 4 (South Africa)
At the international defense industry exhibition IDEX-2019, which took place from 17 to 21 in February in Abu Dhabi (UAE), the military-industrial group Paramount Group from South Africa presented its new product - an armored vehicle of XMUMX 4 wheel formula. The novelty is positioned by South African engineers as part of a large family of armored vehicles, which already includes the Mbombe 4 and Mbombe 4 models with the wheel formula 6х8 and 6х6, respectively. In this case, the manufacturer claims that all three combat vehicles of the Mbombe family have up to 8 percent of the total nodes. This reduces the cost of their production and operation, and also provides efficient logistics and facilitates the training of military personnel.
A large number of common components and parts is one of the competitive advantages of the Mbombe family in the international market, as it allows potential customers to save on several models of combat vehicles of this family on material and technical support and maintenance of this combat equipment. According to the Paramount Group, the new Mbombe 4 will complement the Mbombe family of combat vehicles designed to optimally meet the growing demand for well-protected universal equipment in the international market. It is reported that Mbombe 4 is suitable for both conventional and asymmetric wars, as well as anti-terrorist operations and participation in peacekeeping missions.
It is already known that the first customers have appeared. The launch customer for the Mbombe 4 armored car was the UAE Defense Ministry. Representatives of the United Arab Emirates on the first day of the exhibition IDEX-2019 announced the conclusion of a contract for the purchase of four armored vehicles of this type. Most likely, they are purchased for evaluation tests. It is known that the transaction is estimated at 2,7 million dollars. At the same time, representatives of the manufacturer stated that in the summer of 2019, the Mbombe 4 armored vehicle would be tested by two more potential customers.
It is worth noting that, to date, engineers from the Republic of South Africa have probably the most experience in the development of mine-protected wheeled armored vehicles. You can even say they own the palm in this area. For the first time armored cars of this class began to use the armed forces of the Republic of South Africa, they used them in the fighting in Angola and Namibia. Already later, their experience was adopted by other countries, primarily the United States, which began mass production of MRAP (mine resistant ambush protected) armored vehicles after the deployment of their troops into Iraq.
Back in September, the 2010 of the year in South Africa at the international exhibition AAD, which is held every two years, was the first to be presented with a full-scale sample of the Mbombe, a new mine-protected combat vehicle created by Paramount Group specialists. In 2010, the debut of the combat vehicle with the wheel formula 6х6 took place. In the same year, this combat vehicle was adopted by the national defense forces of South Africa in the BTR version, which could be easily converted into an ambulance. In this case, the machine retains all its protective properties and can act as a platform for the placement of various weapons systems or the installation of various equipment.
Already then, engineers from South Africa positioned the novelty as a revolutionary development in the entire line of diverse, mine-protected armored vehicles. According to the official website of the Paramount Group, the revolution and uniqueness of the project is explained by the fact that it is the first combat vehicle of the class MRAP, which provides excellent protection against mines, without resorting to the traditional V-shaped design, which is used on most of these machines. According to the manufacturer, the mine resistance of the Mbombe 6 armored vehicle is up to 10 kg of TNT equivalent when exploded under the body, up to 14 kg of undermining under the wheel and up to 50 kg of TNT equivalent when it is blown away from the armored vehicle, however, without specifying at what distance an explosion occurs. At the same time, using a flat-bottomed hull allows you to reduce the silhouette of a combat vehicle to an 2,4 meter, which positively affects its visibility on the battlefield, and therefore increases survival. Also reducing the height of the machine has a positive effect on its lateral stability.
The total combat mass of the recently introduced Mbombe 4 armored vehicle is 16 tons, the payload mass is about three tons (various weapon systems, ammunition, crew and troops). The capacity of the armored car is 10 people, including the 8 man landing and two crew members. The manufacturer considers the presence of the aft ramp, which has already proven its effectiveness on the Mbombe 6 BTR and Mbombe 8 infantry fighting vehicles, including in combat conditions. This ramp provides rapid deployment of the landing force, regardless of whether the armored car is in a static position or in motion.
Mbombe 4’s all-welded armored hull provides ballistic protection of the STANAG 4569 Level 3 (using the optional external protection it can be upgraded to the Level 4 standard), this corresponds to the circular protection against 14,5 xNNXX large-caliber cartridges. Mine protection measures provide a level of protection against detonation according to the STANAG 114 Level 4569a and 4b standards. The manufacturer claimed protection from a side detonation of a mine or an improvised explosive device with a power of 4 kg in TNT equivalent.
The heart of the Mbombe 4 armored vehicle is the 6 diesel-cylinder Cummins turbocharged engine with an output of 336 kW (457 hp), which works in conjunction with a six-speed gearbox from the Allison company. The maximum speed of the armored car is 140 km / h, the range on the highway is 800 km. The armored car uses independent suspension with pneumatic locking of the differentials of both axles, wheels with 16.00xE20 tires, they are equipped with a centralized pressure control system. The steering wheel is equipped with electric.
For the convenience of the crew and troops, the machine is equipped with a powerful air conditioning unit. In this case, despite the fact that the machine was created in South Africa, its developers took care of the possibility of operation in different climatic conditions. Armored vehicles can also be used in winter at air temperatures down to -20 degrees Celsius, in summer they can be used at temperatures up to + 55 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the temperature range can be easily extended, as the experience of joint production with Kazakhstan shows. For combat vehicles intended for the Kazakh army, the operating temperature is stated to be from -50 degrees Celsius. According to the developers, Mbombe 4 was created specifically for potential local production in the customer countries, the company willingly transfers technology and skills, as evidenced by the joint venture Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE) and Singapore's ST Engineering.
At the same time Mbombe 4 can be a carrier of weapons systems and military equipment for various purposes. The machine, like its older brothers in the line, involves a wide range of installed payload. And the on-board computer and system interface used make it possible to integrate the armored vehicle with various weapon systems of both western and eastern production. Particularly in Kazakhstan, Mbombe armored vehicles were successfully tested with Russian combat modules, including 30-mm 2X42 automatic cannon and PKM machine gun, and later with AU-220M combat module with a powerful 57-mm gun manufactured by Uralvagonzavod.
Information sources:
https://bmpd.livejournal.com
http://www.paramountgroup.com
http://armiya.az
http://otvaga2004.ru
Open source materials
A large number of common components and parts is one of the competitive advantages of the Mbombe family in the international market, as it allows potential customers to save on several models of combat vehicles of this family on material and technical support and maintenance of this combat equipment. According to the Paramount Group, the new Mbombe 4 will complement the Mbombe family of combat vehicles designed to optimally meet the growing demand for well-protected universal equipment in the international market. It is reported that Mbombe 4 is suitable for both conventional and asymmetric wars, as well as anti-terrorist operations and participation in peacekeeping missions.
Armored car Mbombe 4, photo: paramountgroup.com
It is already known that the first customers have appeared. The launch customer for the Mbombe 4 armored car was the UAE Defense Ministry. Representatives of the United Arab Emirates on the first day of the exhibition IDEX-2019 announced the conclusion of a contract for the purchase of four armored vehicles of this type. Most likely, they are purchased for evaluation tests. It is known that the transaction is estimated at 2,7 million dollars. At the same time, representatives of the manufacturer stated that in the summer of 2019, the Mbombe 4 armored vehicle would be tested by two more potential customers.
It is worth noting that, to date, engineers from the Republic of South Africa have probably the most experience in the development of mine-protected wheeled armored vehicles. You can even say they own the palm in this area. For the first time armored cars of this class began to use the armed forces of the Republic of South Africa, they used them in the fighting in Angola and Namibia. Already later, their experience was adopted by other countries, primarily the United States, which began mass production of MRAP (mine resistant ambush protected) armored vehicles after the deployment of their troops into Iraq.
Mbombe family combat vehicles, photo: paramountgroup.com
Back in September, the 2010 of the year in South Africa at the international exhibition AAD, which is held every two years, was the first to be presented with a full-scale sample of the Mbombe, a new mine-protected combat vehicle created by Paramount Group specialists. In 2010, the debut of the combat vehicle with the wheel formula 6х6 took place. In the same year, this combat vehicle was adopted by the national defense forces of South Africa in the BTR version, which could be easily converted into an ambulance. In this case, the machine retains all its protective properties and can act as a platform for the placement of various weapons systems or the installation of various equipment.
Already then, engineers from South Africa positioned the novelty as a revolutionary development in the entire line of diverse, mine-protected armored vehicles. According to the official website of the Paramount Group, the revolution and uniqueness of the project is explained by the fact that it is the first combat vehicle of the class MRAP, which provides excellent protection against mines, without resorting to the traditional V-shaped design, which is used on most of these machines. According to the manufacturer, the mine resistance of the Mbombe 6 armored vehicle is up to 10 kg of TNT equivalent when exploded under the body, up to 14 kg of undermining under the wheel and up to 50 kg of TNT equivalent when it is blown away from the armored vehicle, however, without specifying at what distance an explosion occurs. At the same time, using a flat-bottomed hull allows you to reduce the silhouette of a combat vehicle to an 2,4 meter, which positively affects its visibility on the battlefield, and therefore increases survival. Also reducing the height of the machine has a positive effect on its lateral stability.
Armored car Mbombe 4, photo: paramountgroup.com
The total combat mass of the recently introduced Mbombe 4 armored vehicle is 16 tons, the payload mass is about three tons (various weapon systems, ammunition, crew and troops). The capacity of the armored car is 10 people, including the 8 man landing and two crew members. The manufacturer considers the presence of the aft ramp, which has already proven its effectiveness on the Mbombe 6 BTR and Mbombe 8 infantry fighting vehicles, including in combat conditions. This ramp provides rapid deployment of the landing force, regardless of whether the armored car is in a static position or in motion.
Mbombe 4’s all-welded armored hull provides ballistic protection of the STANAG 4569 Level 3 (using the optional external protection it can be upgraded to the Level 4 standard), this corresponds to the circular protection against 14,5 xNNXX large-caliber cartridges. Mine protection measures provide a level of protection against detonation according to the STANAG 114 Level 4569a and 4b standards. The manufacturer claimed protection from a side detonation of a mine or an improvised explosive device with a power of 4 kg in TNT equivalent.
The heart of the Mbombe 4 armored vehicle is the 6 diesel-cylinder Cummins turbocharged engine with an output of 336 kW (457 hp), which works in conjunction with a six-speed gearbox from the Allison company. The maximum speed of the armored car is 140 km / h, the range on the highway is 800 km. The armored car uses independent suspension with pneumatic locking of the differentials of both axles, wheels with 16.00xE20 tires, they are equipped with a centralized pressure control system. The steering wheel is equipped with electric.
Armored car Mbombe 4, photo: paramountgroup.com
For the convenience of the crew and troops, the machine is equipped with a powerful air conditioning unit. In this case, despite the fact that the machine was created in South Africa, its developers took care of the possibility of operation in different climatic conditions. Armored vehicles can also be used in winter at air temperatures down to -20 degrees Celsius, in summer they can be used at temperatures up to + 55 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the temperature range can be easily extended, as the experience of joint production with Kazakhstan shows. For combat vehicles intended for the Kazakh army, the operating temperature is stated to be from -50 degrees Celsius. According to the developers, Mbombe 4 was created specifically for potential local production in the customer countries, the company willingly transfers technology and skills, as evidenced by the joint venture Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE) and Singapore's ST Engineering.
At the same time Mbombe 4 can be a carrier of weapons systems and military equipment for various purposes. The machine, like its older brothers in the line, involves a wide range of installed payload. And the on-board computer and system interface used make it possible to integrate the armored vehicle with various weapon systems of both western and eastern production. Particularly in Kazakhstan, Mbombe armored vehicles were successfully tested with Russian combat modules, including 30-mm 2X42 automatic cannon and PKM machine gun, and later with AU-220M combat module with a powerful 57-mm gun manufactured by Uralvagonzavod.
Information sources:
https://bmpd.livejournal.com
http://www.paramountgroup.com
http://armiya.az
http://otvaga2004.ru
Open source materials
Information