South African arms mogul Ivor Ichikowitz's Paramount teams with Baba Kalyani to launch Simha armored vehicle in France

Ivor Ichikowitz is pushing his defense empire deeper into the global arena. Paramount Group, the company the South African entrepreneur founded and now Africa's largest private defense firm, has unveiled a new light armored vehicle alongside India's Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited, as African and Asian manufacturers deepen ties to arm forces across emerging markets.

The two companies launched the Simha 4×4 Light Armoured Multi-Purpose Vehicle at the Eurosatory 2026 defense exhibition in France. Kalyani Defence is the flagship defense and aerospace arm of India's $2.5 billion Kalyani Group, led by billionaire industrialist Baba Kalyani, whose net worth Forbes estimates at $5.1 billion. Named after the Sanskrit word for lion, the vehicle was developed for armed forces in India, Africa, South Asia and other markets, the companies said on June 16.

The Simha is a specially adapted variant of the Mbombe 4 platform, developed in partnership by Paramount Greece and Ukraine's MAC HUB. The companies said it was designed for reconnaissance, internal security, border protection, special operations, command-and-control, troop transport and force protection, with a modular architecture that allows easy upgrades and customization.

The launch gives the partners a new platform for countries seeking lighter, more flexible armored systems for urban warfare, border protection and internal security. It also lands as African governments raise spending on mobility, counter-insurgency and force protection, while seeking platforms that can be adapted and maintained locally.

Eric Ichikowitz, senior vice president of Paramount, said defense forces want adaptable platforms that can run several missions, integrate new technologies and support local production. "The Simha has been designed from the outset to meet those requirements," he said. Amit Kalyani, vice chairman and joint managing director of Bharat Forge Ltd, said the vehicle showed India's growing defense manufacturing capacity and was engineered for rapid production in partner nations.

The deal builds on an established relationship. In February 2021, Bharat Forge won an initial $24 million contract from India's Ministry of Defence after the M4 completed extreme trials, and Kalyani Strategic Systems now builds Paramount's Mbombe 4 as the Kalyani M4 for the Indian Army at its plant in Pune. The first units entered service in April 2022 and have since deployed on United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Since its 2019 launch, the Mbombe 4 has been ordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Arab Emirates, Togo and India, and recently won approval for military service in Ukraine.