Barys 8x8 armored vehicle fitted with Sarbaz turret unveiled at KADEX 2018.

Paramount Group, the African-based global defence and aerospace company, and its joint venture in Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE), are exhibiting their latest range of next generation armoured vehicles at the international Kazakhstan Defence Expo (KADEX-2018) held in Astana. The focus of KPE’s exhibit is showcasing the advanced Barys Infantry Combat vehicle family comprised of the 6х6 and 8х8 vehices, and also the Arlan 4x4 mine-protected armoured personnel carrier.

KPE Barys 8x8 wheeled armored vehicle fitted with the Sarbaz unmanned turret

The Barys 8, the localised version of Paramount’s Mbombe 8 was unveiled for the first time at KADEX 2016. It represents the pinnacle of land system technologies and was developed to meet the increasing demand for multi-role, high mobility and mine hardened platforms.

Its unique design allows for the fitment of a very large array of weapon systems enabling the Barys 8 to be customised for armed forces all around the world. In 2016 it was fitted with a Russian 57 mm automatic cannon on the “AU-220M” remote weapon station. This year the Barys 8 is fitted with a remote weapon station jointly developed by Kazakhstan’s “KAE” LLP and Aselsan, called the Sarbaz. The Sarbaz is a 30mm gyro-stabilized remotely controlled gun turret based on the Russian 2A42 cannon. Additionally, the vehicle is also fitted with a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun.

The Barys is the Kazakh name of the Mbombe 8 which is the latest variant of combat armoured vehicle from the Mbombe military vehicles family. The Barys can carry a total of 11 military personnel including commander, driver and gunner. The Mbombe 8 is based on the design of Paramount’s Mbombe 6 that employs an innovative new form of construction to give unprecedented levels of protection, while keeping profile to a minimum. The 8x8 also draws on the company’s experience of designing the highly effective and battle-tested Marauder and Matador mine-resistant vehicles. The vehicle has a total weight of 19,000 kg.

The Ministry of Defence of Kazakhstan is in the final stages of the evaluation of the Barys 8x8 combat vehicle ahead of acceptance into service by the country’s armed forces. This follows intensive winter and summer trials during which the vehicle performed exceptionally under extreme conditions.