Paramount displays Mbombe 8 IFV

Jane’s IHS is reporting that at the recent KADEX 16 (Kazakhstan Defense Expo), South Africa’s Paramount Group displayed its Mbombe 8 infantry fighting vehicle.  This new 8×8 vehicle is called the Barys 8 in Kazakhstan  and will be produced at a factory that Paramount has set up in Astana with a state-owned company under the Kazakstan Paramount Engineering (KPE) joint venture.  The KPE plant currently produces a version of the Marauder 4×4 called the Arlan.  The KPE plant is capable of producing the entire Mbombe/Barys family, which includes the original 4×4 vehicle and the 6×6 Mbombe 6 that has been ordered by Jordan, as well as the new 8×8.   Paramount says the technology is being transferred to enable the factory to fabricate complete Arlan hulls, but major sub-systems such as engines and drive lines need to be imported.  The vehicle on display was fitted with the Russian-made AU-220M unmanned turret armed with a 57 mm dual-feed cannon and a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun. A wide range of other turrets and weapon stations could be integrated on the vehicle.