TSAMTO, September 28. As part of the celebration of the Armed Forces of Mozambique, recently purchased military equipment, including mArauder armored personnel carriers, as well as Mi-8/17, Mi-24 and gAzelle helicopters, were demonstrated at the military parade.
All deliveries were made by the South African company Paramount Group.
As reported by Defenceweb.co.za, at the parade held on September 25 in Pemba, four mArauder armored vehicles (manufactured by the South African company Paramount Group) equipped with turrets with heavy machine guns, as well as the Mi-24 attack helicopter (S.N. FA-117), the Mi-8/17 armed transport helicopter (S.N. FA-093) and the gAzelle light combat helicopter were presented.
The mArauder BBMs were first identified in Mozambique at the end of 2020, and the helicopters were probably delivered earlier this year. The Zitamar News resource previously reported that Mozambican pilots trained in South Africa will operate four gAzelle helicopters, and two Russian-made helicopters, the Mi-17 and Mi-24, will be operated by Ukrainian crews.
Local military expert Nuno Rojeiro reported at the end of last year that Mozambique would receive several Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters upgraded at the facilities of Paramount Group. Despite the fact that Mozambique has its own Mi-24 and Mi-17 helicopters, all of them are considered faulty and unusable.
In December last year, the Africa Intelligence resource reported that the agreement between Mozambique and Paramount includes the supply of at least 12 Marader armored vehicles and four gAzelle helicopters, which should be delivered by February 2021.
According to Africa Intelligence, 15 Mozambican pilots were trained in South Africa at the Paramount Technical Training Academy. In addition, according to Daily Maverick, Burnham Global has trained the personnel of the Armed Forces of the country in the operation of armored vehicles in Mozambique.
Paramount and Burnham Global on February 23 this year announced the signing of a multimillion-dollar contract with the government of an unnamed African country, providing consulting services and training for military personnel. According to the assessment, the customer of these services is Mozambique.