Marauder (vehicle)

The Marauder is an armoured, mine-protected vehicle that is produced by Paramount Group in South Africa. It was launched during the 2007 International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) and Conference in Abu Dhabi, the largest arms exhibition in the Middle East.

Design and specification
The Marauder was developed for reconnaissance and peacekeeping missions. It carries a crew of up to ten, including a driver and commander. Originally designed to operate in urban, built-up and confined areas it is smaller in both size and weight than the Matador, a similarly armoured vehicle. Vehicle configuration is either 4x4 or a 6x6. The Marauder has a cruising speed of around 100 to(-), and a maximum range of 700 km.

The Marauder’s double-skin monocoque hull provides protection against projectiles up to STANAG 4569 Level III for the crew compartment.

The Marauder’s payload capacity allows for the fitting of various defence and weapons systems, including light and medium-calibre machine guns, cannon weapon installations, and missile launchers, as well as command, surveillance, and control systems. The vehicle can be configured such that mortars may be fired from the payload platform.

Production
In 2008, for the manufacturing and production of the Marauder, the Paramount Group entered into an agreement with the King Abdullah Design and Development Bureau (KADDB), Jordan’s primary governmental military agency that develops and manufactures defence systems, and which serves as an independent technical advisor to the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF). As well as being a manufacturer, Jordan was the first customer for the Marauder.

In popular culture
In June 2011, the civilian version of the Marauder was featured in British motoring program Top Gear, with Richard Hammond.

The focus of the roadtest was to test the Marauder against its closest - and arguably only - rival, the discontinued Hummer H3; unlike the original Hummer H1, the Hummer H3 is a civilian model based on the Chevrolet Colorado. Among the activities tested were ordering fast-food from a drive-through restaurant, driving off-road, through/over obstacles (solid brick walls and parked cars, respectively) and testing how well it could withstand an explosion (seven pounds of plastic explosives) directed at its underside.

Unlike the (civilian spec) Hummer, which was completely destroyed by the explosion, the Marauder was still operational and sustained only minor damage for the most part, Hammond easily managing to drive it away despite its dislodged/blown tyre.

Also appeared in the movie District 9 as transport vehicles for the fictional MNU agency.

Operators

 * 🇦🇿 - 65
 * 🇿🇦 South Africa - ~50
 * 🇯🇴 Jordan - ~50