The Mamba was intended for general aviation purposes, including leisure, training, and agricultural use. Development was supported by the Australian government's Grants for Industrial Research and Development (GIRD) scheme.
The Mamba is a strut-braced, high-wing monoplane designed over two years and first flown on 25 January 1989. It has fixed tricycle landing gear and is powered by a 1160NaN0 Lycoming O-235 flat-four piston engine. It has an enclosed glazed cabin with side-by-side configuration seating for two. The fuselage is constructed of welded steel tubing with stressed aluminium skin. The Mamba was designed to be rugged and easily maintained, even in remote areas where use of more advanced materials might prove a liability.[2]
MAC sought certification of the design under Australian standard ANO 101.22 and US FAR 23, and hoped to start manufacturing a two-seat version based on the prototype in 1989.[2] A four-seat version was expected to enter production the following year,[2] with a military version after that. Differences from the civil version were to include armour for the cabin and provision for underwing stores, including two 20-mm cannon.[2] Intended applications included border patrol and counter-insurgency (COIN) operations.[2]
Initial production was to be in Australia,[2] at Echuca or Essendon,[1] with MAC considering offshore production for the future.[2] However, by 1992, production was still not underway, and Aviation Industries of Australia (AIA) was formed in Shepparton, to manufacture the design.[3] A mockup of the four-seat version was built the same year.[1]
A prototype of the military version was built under contract by Australian Aircraft Industries as the AA-2S Mamba powered by an IO-360. It was displayed as a static display at the 1999 Australian International Air Show at Avalon, Victoria.[1]
As of 2022, Mamba Aircraft Company aimed to restart development, possibly in collaboration with Chinese aviation manufacturers.[4]