Paramount Group Unveils New ‘maatla’ 4x4 Light Protected Vehicle And Reveals Orders For First 50 Vehicles

Pretoria, South Africa, September 23rd, 2022 – Paramount Land Systems, a subsidiary of Paramount Group, the global aerospace and technology company, has announced two orders totalling 50 vehicles for its newly unveiled, Maatla 4x4 Light Protected Vehicle (LPV), during the African Aerospace and Defence Expo (AAD 2022) in Tshwane, South Africa.

In entering the Light Protected Vehicle market with its new multi-role ‘Maatla’ (meaning Power in Setswana), Paramount Land Systems is meeting the increasing demand for lighter weight and more affordable armoured vehicles, while offering advanced capabilities and reconfigurability in the field.

Building on nearly three decades of equipping armed forces in Africa and around the world with the most advanced armoured vehicles, the latest addition to Paramount’s family of protected vehicles is already in production for an African country with one of the most challenging, rugged and remote environments for land forces to operate in.

Eric Ichikowitz, Senior Vice President, Paramount International, stated: "Our customers can now take full advantage of three decades of armoured vehicle innovation, engineering excellence and market leadership, but in a lighter class vehicle designed in response to changing customer requirements. We are very excited to offer border patrol, gendarmerie, police units and armed forces in Africa and around the world with best-in-class technologies and capability. The vehicle’s lighter weight and commercial components ultimately enables greater customer affordability and faster production rates.”

The Maatla has been manufactured on a commercial vehicle chassis which provides class-leading reliability and proven capability, while capable of addressing all types of terrain for its nine-crew personnel. It further features “Smart Floor” technology, enabling the seating to be quickly removed and the vehicle to be configured as either an ambulance, command vehicle or customisable for alternative mission requirements, such as border patrol, military support, policing, or peacekeeping missions. Day/night vision devices and extra sensors can also be fitted to provide 24/7 operability.

The Maatla provides, as a minimum, ballistic and blast protections to STANAG 4569 Level 1, and can protect against handguns and other small caliber ball rounds. It also provides underbelly protection against M26 hand grenades or a blast equivalent.

Deon Grobler, CEO of Paramount Land Systems, stated that: “Personnel safety and soldier survivability in the field are key priorities of the Paramount Group’s design and manufacturing philosophy. The Maatla is a multi-purpose vehicle, offering excellent cross-country performance and reliability. Designed to handle a 2-tonne payload, the Maatla offers near infinite-configurability in terms of onboarding mission specific equipment, weapons, and armour scalability.”

The Maatla can reach a road speed of up to 100 km/hr, with a cruising range of up to 600 km when traveling at 80 km/hr, and a fording depth of up to 750 mm without preparation. The vehicle is fitted with a 2-speed transfer case and 3 differential locks, which allows it to cross almost any obstacle in difficult terrain. The vehicle can be operated in extreme environments, with temperatures ranging from -10°C to + 55°C, without any preparation.

About Paramount Group

Paramount Group is the global aerospace and technology business, founded in 1994. It is a leader in defence and security innovation and is a trusted partner to sovereign governments across the globe. Paramount specialises in the creation of portable manufacturing facilities through technology and skills transfer, resulting in new local capabilities and sustainable jobs, proven to not only benefit local defence industrial capabilities but economic diversification and growth.

Paramount Group has been responsible for the development and production of a broad range of highly advanced armored and mine protected vehicles that are in operation around the world. The family of APC and combat vehicles which has been developed from clean-sheet design is at the vanguard of armored vehicle technologies. These vehicles have been designed and developed to meet the increasing demand for multi-role, high mobility, and mine hardened platforms, providing a solution to the ever-changing demands of the global battlefield. Please visit www.paramountgroup.com for more information and follow us on Twitter.