Orders for 50 Already Received

Paramount Land Systems unveiled the Maatla 4×4 light protected vehicle (LPV) at African Aerospace and Defence 2022 in Tshwane on 21 September.

Maatla (‘power’ in Setswana) will meet the increasing demand for lighter weight, more affordable armoured vehicles, while offering advanced capabilities and reconfigurability in the field, the company stated. MON understands that 50 Maatla are already in production for an African nation with a very demanding operational environment. “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 […] The vehicle’s lighter weight and commercial components ultimately enable greater customer affordability and faster production rates,” explained Eric Ichikowitz, SVP, Paramount International.

Maatla is based on a commercial vehicle chassis, which provides class-leading reliability and proven capability. It also features ‘Smart Floor’ technology, enabling rapid reconfiguration for alternative mission requirements. Day/night vision devices and extra sensors can also be fitted to provide 24/7 operability. As a minimum, the vehicle provides ballistic and blast protection to STANAG 4569 Level 1, protecting against small calibre ball and underbelly protection against M26 hand grenades or a blast equivalent. “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,” commented Paramount Land Systems CEO, Deon Grobler.

Maatla’s top speed is up to 100km/h, with a cruising range of up to 600km at 80 km/h, and a fording depth of up to 0.75m without preparation. The vehicle is fitted with a two-speed transfer case and three differential locks, allowing it to cross almost any obstacle in difficult terrain. It can be operated in extreme environments, in temperatures from -10 to +55°C, without any preparation.