By Chris Muhizi for MCN Thursday June 29th/2023.
( Defence web):In addition to providing the Democratic Republic of Congo with six Mwari aircraft, Paramount also sells armoured personnel carriers to the DRC.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been announced as the Mwari’s newest customer after Mozambican marks were first spotted on it at the end of January. Paramount only revealed that two air forces had ordered nine from it during the Africa Aerospace and Defense expo in September of last year.
The Mwari is the first brand-new piloted military aircraft in South Africa since the Rooivalk attack helicopter. It was previously under development for more than ten years under the name AHRLAC (Advanced High Performance Reconnaissance Light Aircraft). Experimental Demonstrator (XDM)’s inaugural flight took place in July 2023.
Portable production has been a consideration in the design of Mwari. The aircraft can readily connect into global supply networks, enabling scaled mass production. Depending on customer needs, the aircraft may be exported in kit form for final assembly in customer nations.
In addition to the Mwari, Paramount is supplying the DRC with its new Maatla light 44 protected vehicles; at least six of these cars were spotted traveling there by road in November of last year. When the Maatla (Setswana for “power”) was introduced last year, Paramount said that 50 vehicles had already been ordered by two clients.
For activities such as marine patrol, counter-insurgency, and surveillance, the Mwari is positioned as a considerably less expensive substitute for high-end military aircraft. Training can also be done with it. The unique Interchangeable Mission Systems Bay (IMSB), found in the belly of the aircraft, provides nearly unlimited sensor and payload options that can be integrated and switched out in less than two hours, making the Mwari well-suited to carry out many missions. New pods, avionics, cargo, special mission equipment, weaponry, and sensors may be quickly and affordably integrated thanks to open-architecture and adaptable systems.
The Mwari, which is propelled by a PT6 turboprop, has a service ceiling of up to 31 000 feet, a maximum cruise speed of 250 knots, a mission range of up to 550 nautical miles when carrying ordinance, and a maximum endurance of 6.5 hours. The aircraft’s retractable landing gear is optimized for both semi-prepared and unprepared airstrips or sites, and it also provides a short take-off and landing (STOL) capability.
The Argos II electro-optical gimbal from Hensoldt, the 420 sensor ball from Paramount Advanced Technologies, the Avni thermal reconnaissance system from Thales, the MiniRaven radar warning receiver from Sysdel, and the ACR510 radio are just a few of the sensors and pieces of equipment that have already been installed on the aircraft. In the future, synthetic aperture radars (SAR) might be an alternative.
The aircraft has a distinctive twin-boom, single-pusher-engine, high-mounted, forward-swept wing design that gives it a unique external appearance and exceptional external visibility (Paramount is exploring cooling technologies for the greenhouse-like cockpit). The two crew members are sat side by side, each with a full set of HOTAS (Hands On Throttle-And-Stick) side-stick controls and an optional Martin-Baker Mk 16 ejection seat. A 21-inch large screen display is installed in the back cockpit.
