EUROSATORY 2016 - Customers line up for Piranha 5.

Piranha 5 in the standard APC configuration and without a weapon station carried out 

By Wording OD.

General Dynamics European Land Systems – Mowag (Hall 5, Stand G847) is showing its latest Piranha 5 (8x8) armoured personnel carrier (APC), which has recently been selected and ordered by two customers. The first customer is the Danish Army, which placed a contract for 309 vehicles in January 2016 with options that could increase this to 450 units. Denmark will take delivery from 2018-23 and in addition to the APC more specialised versions include ambulance, command and control, engineer, mortar and repair. They will replace the currently deployed tracked BAE Systems M113 APC and variants, which have been upgraded several times but now need replacing.

Spain has selected the Piranha 5 to meet its requirements for its new wheeled combat vehicle requirement, which aims to replace its currently deployed BMR-600 (6x6) family, whose design is now more than 35 years old. GDELS has already been awarded a contract from Spain for four Piranha 5s, which will be delivered for trials in late 2017. It is expected that between 300 and 400 will be supplied to the Spanish Army from the Santa Bárbara Sistemas facility in Seville.

When compared with earlier-generation Piranhas, the latest Piranha 5 has more volume and payload and can be fitted with a modular armour protection (MAP) package to meet different user requirements. The maximum payload is being quoted as 15 tonnes, which includes the MAP, weapons, ammunition, crew and fuel. Shortly before Eurosatory, the Piranha 5 in the standard APC configuration and without a weapon station carried out a successful loading and unloading demonstration in the Airbus Defence and Space A400M cargo aircraft in Seville, Spain. In addition to uplifting one Piranha 5, the A400M can carry 29 troops.

Source: Eurosatory 2016/Jane´s Defense.