Paramount Marauder Mark 2 Debuts As Even More Rugged Military Transport

The Paramount Group is a South-Africa-based military contractor, and the company touts its Marauder armored truck as the "World’s Most Unstoppable Vehicle" after such a statement on BBC’s Top Gear. To make sure the rig can back up that bold claim, there's now a Mark 2 version with even more capability.

The major change for the Marauder Mark 2 versus the original version is that all of them now ride on a universal hull. With the available interchangeable dashboard modules, a customer can switch the steering position from the left to the right (or vice versa) in about two hours. This makes it possible for operators to adapt the vehicle to different markets, even after taking delivery.

Military-focused vehicles like this are built for doing a job, not for looks. The Marauder is big and boxy. The windows are small because these can be weak points. Spare wheels attach to each side.

The Marauder has room inside for a driver and co-driver plus up to nine occupants. The vehicle's double-hulled monocoque offers protection from up to 17.64 pounds (8 kilograms) of TNT exploding underneath the vehicle. The side can withstand shots from a firearm using a 7.62x51mm NATO armor-piercing cartridge. Inside, there are anti-blast seats that provide additional protection.

Paramount's video (above) only says the Marauder Mark 2 uses a six-cylinder turbodiesel engine, without offering additional details. The vehicle can reach speeds as high as 68 miles per hour (110 kilometers per hour), and the total driving range is 435 miles (700 kilometers)

The Marauder is capable of hauling 9,921 pounds of payload (4,500 kilograms). It's light enough for transport from a C-130 cargo plane or Chinook transport helicopter.

Paramount offers the Marauder with outfitting for multiple purposes. In addition to being just an armored personnel carrier, there are ambulance, anti-armor, infantry support, and command vehicle configurations. The current customers include the governments of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Congo, Gabon, Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Singapore.