Dubai - The aircraft will operate for less than $1,000 an hour
Published: Mon 20 Feb 2017, 1:56 PM
Last updated: Tue 21 Feb 2017, 2:39 PM
A first-of-its kind South African-built aircraft has the ability to perform a wide-range of critical missions at a tiny fraction of the cost of other modern planes, according to its designers.
The Mwari - which means 'all hearing, all seeing being' in the language of South Africa's Shona people - is a light-weight, two-man aircraft, rear turboprop powered that its designers say has been designed to perform as a multi-role "Swiss Army knife" aircraft.
"We needed something that could do part of what a fighter jet could do, part of what an attack helicopter could do, what a UAV could do, what an AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) could do, and part of what a trainer could do, all in one platform," said Ivor Ichikowitz, Founder and Executive Chairman of Paramount Group, which designed the aircraft.
While many other aircraft have been re-purposed from their primary task to fulfil a variety of other missions - trainers being used as attack aircraft, for example - the Mwari is the first aircraft designed with multiple missions in mind. It comes equipped with 25 'hard points' that can be used to carry a wide variety of sensors, or weapons.
"It's the first ever ever light, smart platform," Ichikowiz said. "It's primarily a hub. It's a platform that gives you the ability to plug and play multiple sensors, weapons and mission systems into the same aircraft."
One of the aircraft's main advantages, Ichikowitz added, is it's relative cost-effectiveness. As an example, he compared the Mwari to the BAE Systems Hawk fighter, a single-engine jet.
"That aircraft operates for roughly $12,000 an hour, and that's cheap," he said. "This aircraft will operate for less than $1,000 an hour."
"It (the Mwari) won't do everything a fighter will do, but it will do 80 percent of what a fighter will do, at 1/12th of the cost," he added. "It's exponentially cheaper than anything else on the market...you can deploy 12 of these aircraft, for the operating cost of one fighter."
Additionally, Ichikowitz added that the aircraft has the ability to take-off and land in improvised airstrips, making it useful for missions in areas where modern airbases are not available.
"It requires absolutely no ground support, whatsoever," he said. "You don't need auxiliary power units, you don't need tooling on the ground. You can literally land this thing on a flat piece of soil in the desert and operate the aircraft out of it."
Ichikowitz noted that he believes the aircraft is perfect for the sorts of insurgencies and asymmetrical warfare situations currently found in the Middle East.
"It's easy to fight a war when you know how the enemy is and how they're equipped and many sophisticated defence forces are designed for that," he said. "In asymmetrical warfare you don't know who you're going to fight, where they are, or how they're equipped."
"This aircraft was never conceived for the Middle East, but today, because of the reality of the conflict environment, it is absolutely, 100 percent, the perfect tool," he said. "It makes no sense to deploy an $80 million aircraft against a $15,000 Toyota. That's what's going on."
The Mwari is currently going into production and first deliveries will be made this year, Ichikowitz added.
bernd@khaleejtimes.com
Name: Mwari
Max Cruise Speed: 272 knots
Service Ceiling: 32,000 ft
Max Range (Internal Fuel Only): 1,300 nautical miles
Max Range (External Fuel): 2,000 nautical miles
Operating Cost: Less than $1,000 per hour
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