UAE company forms joint venture with South African weapons supplier

22 February 2011

Paramount Group will bring new armoured vehicle technology to the Middle East

The UAE’s International Golden Group (IGG) has signed a joint venture with South Africa’s Paramount Group.

The move will bolster Paramount’s presence in the Gulf.

The deal was signed in response to increasing interest in Paramount’s improvised explosive device (IED) and mine protected armoured vehicles from the Gulf states.

The Paramount Low Profile Vehicle (PLPV) was recently launched under the name Mbombe and is being showcased for the first time outside Africa at the International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi. The PLPV is a six-wheel infantry fighting vehicle that can take on all types of combat roles.

By bringing its vehicles to the Middle East, Paramount will be presenting one of the world’s most sophisticated defence purchasing markets with new technology and design in armoured vehicles.

“Paramount’s recent technological advancements in mine and IED protection for armoured vehicles represent a huge leap forward in the solutions available to tackle the changing threat in the region,” says Fadil Saif al-Kaabi, chief executive of IGG.

The vehicles have been designed with Middle Eastern terrain in mind as it can withstand harsh environments. In the long-term, the joint venture will establish manufacturing bases in the UAE.

IGG was founded in 2002 and serves the UAE Armed Forces, the Interior Ministry and the Critical National Infrastructure Authority.

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