The South African defence manufacturer has its sights set on Africa, the Middle East and Asia

As South African President Jacob Zuma reopened the corruption investigation surrounding a decades-old arms deal, one of the country's leading private defence companies has been busy selling its wares further afield.

In September, Paramount Group announced the launch of the first aircraft to be fully designed and engineered in Africa.

Known as the Advanced High-Performance Reconnaissance Light Aircraft, it was built in partnership with South African aeronautical company Aerosud, with manufacturing planned at a new factory to be built at the Centurion Aerospace Village near Pretoria.


Ivor Ichikowitz, Paramount's executive chairman, says there has been interest for the aircraft from Eastern Europe, South America, the Middle East and Africa, "primarily for border control, pipeline protection and anti-piracy operations".


Established in 1994, Paramount has recorded 20 percent sales growth year-on-year and has doubled its workforce in the past 12 months.

The group employs 900 people in South Africa, and around 350 elsewhere in the world.

Its armoured infantry vehicle, the Mbombe, launched last year, is about to go into full-scale production with confirmed orders from at least one country in Africa. 


Early this year, it also signed a joint venture with two Gulf-based companies.

Its plan is to build manufacturing bases in the United Arab Emirates to meet demand from the Middle East and Asia.