Kazakhstan aims to export armoured vehicles to Azerbaijan

Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE), a joint-venture between South Africa’s private defence supplier Paramount Group and state-owned Kazakhstan Engineering, is eager to begin exporting Paramount Group Marauder armoured vehicles to Azerbaijan.

The Marauder is produced by KPE as the “Arlans” – the first vehicle rolled out of KPE’s production line in August 2016. Under a commercial offset and transfer-of-technology agreement, Paramount Group co-funded to build a 15,000 m² facility in Kazakhstan capable of rolling out of 200 vehicles per year. Currently, the plant is producing 120 vehicles per year.

Azerbaijan is among the platform’s main users, with at least 70-75 bought since 2011, though these are also co-produced with input from Azerbaijan MDI (another joint-venture involving Paramount Group).

The 4×4 Marauder/Arlans can carry up to 10 personnel and has a payload of 4,000 kg (useful for remote weapon stations and electronics equipment). The Arlans variant is powered by a Cummins 285 h engine, which provides a top speed of 120 km/h (road) and range of 700 km.

As per Paramount Group, the Marauder can sustain kinetic projectiles of up to STANAG 4569 Level 3 (e.g. bullets from 7.62x51mm and 12.7mm small arms). The Marauder can sustain grenade and mine blasts of up to STANAG Level 3A and 3B, which Paramount Group translates as 8 kg of TNT beneath the hull, 8 kg TNT beneath any wheel, and 50 kg TNT at the side.