Tech development enhances defence equipment

Global aerospace and technology company Paramount Group’s equipment and technologies, in service with various armed forces and security agencies on four continents, as well as digital and drawing-board designs, prototyping and acceptance trials, are under constant review to keep abreast and attempt to stay ahead of new challenges based on real-life experience.

“Prediction is never an exact science,” says Paramount newly appointed group CEO Steve Griessel.

However, owing to their vast experience, Paramount engineers across its various business units can evaluate evolving situations quickly and respond swiftly.

Rapid advances in technology have assisted Paramount Group in remaining nimble and responsive to new developments, especially with regard to special materials engineering and systems engineering.

Using new technological developments enabled Paramount to introduce the three-dimensional printing of components for the Mwari aircraft, pioneer the development of flat-floor designs for the Mbombe range of armoured vehicles and provide comprehensive ballistic protection for crews of commercial and coastal patrol vessels in the Gulf of Guinea.

Griessel adds that, in addition to Paramount’s in-house design teams, the group also has long-standing partnerships with “world-leading manufacturers of specialised technologies”, through which Paramount can provide “best-of-breed solutions” that meet customer requirements.

Paramount Land Systems’ fleets of modern armoured vehicles are a completely new design and feature the latest materials and technologies.

For example, Paramount offered new add-on armour packages last year for the mine-resistant, ambush-protected personnel carrier, the Mbombe 4, launched in 2019.

The Mwari reconnaissance, surveillance and precision strike aircraft was designed and developed by Paramount Aerospace Industries to provide a robust and versatile aerial platform.

The Mwari can now perform missions that previously required several different aircraft by integrating designs from helicopters, surveillance platforms and reconnaissance aircraft, in addition to carrying multiple systems such as surveillance radar and electronic systems.

It offers advanced onboard sensors, weapons and real-time data analysis that can undertake a range of missions in austere and remote environments with little logistical support.

The aircraft is purpose-built to be infinitely reconfigurable, allowing for the application of Mwari in multiple roles and missions in response to diverse customer requirements worldwide.

Paramount Aerospace aimed to produce a strike aircraft that was affordable for developing countries, and deployable for multiple missions, owing to its interchangeable mission pod. It has since been recognised by developed countries who see value in adapting the aircraft for their own operational deployments, equipping it for a wider range of applications, explains Griessel.

Paramount Land Systems’ Mbombe family of armoured personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles – in 4 × 4, 6 × 6, and 8 × 8 versions – are “the most advanced and versatile platforms available anywhere globally”.

They have been rigorously tested in hostile conditions and adapted for operations in temperatures ranging from 50 ºC to –50 ºC, in a variety of likely conflict environments.

“They offer what we believe to be the highest levels of crew-survivability and combat readiness,” says Griessel.

Customised Solutions
Paramount Group’s system integration house, Paramount Advanced Technologies (PAT), produces safety-critical systems based mainly on its in-house developed hardware, operation system and software, says Griessel.

PAT produces custom solutions to solve clients’ unique challenges through evaluating their operational requirements while integrating solutions from PAT's vast array of technology partners.

PAT’s solutions cover the land, air and naval domains, and include border solutions, aircraft mission systems, vehicle mission systems and autonomous systems.

Griessel explains that collaborating with clients to understand their changing needs, find cost-effective solutions for them and providing support for decision-makers have helped Paramount Group build a global brand and reputation that ensure its continued growth and success.

“Aerospace and defence technology are at the top-end of the industrial capability of any country. They are fundamental to the technological development of any nation,” he concludes.