Spain to get more Piranha IIICs

General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) has announced that Spain's Ministry of Defence and MOWAG GmbH signed a contract for a further batch of 21 units of the PIRANHA IIIC 8x8 in the amphibious version. 18 PIRANHA IIIC 8x8 are in operation with the Spanish Marines. The new vehicles will be manufactured in Kreuzlingen and delivered from the year 2009 until 2014. The newly signed contract comprises 21 PIRANHA IIIC 8x8 in nine variants to solve specific operational tasks: APC, Fire Capability, Command Post, Engineering, Ambulance, Recovery and Reconnaissance. MOWAG's CEO, Christoph Frei, was proud and pleased about the close cooperation with Spain, and he declared: “This contract is further proof of our customers' confidence in the performance and reliability of our PIRANHA, and of the good strategic partnership between the Spanish authorities and MOWAG GmbH".

The PIRANHAs will be used primarily within the framework of international missions of the Spanish Army. The threat situation in such missions specifically calls for a high level of protection for the vehicle crews against mines and ballistic weapons. The PIRANHA IIIC has a length of 7.30 m, a width of 2.66 m, and a GVW of 22 t. The vehicle reaches a speed of up to 100 km/h on the road. The PIRANHA IIIC easily manages gradients of up to 60%, and fording depths of up to 1.50 m. The 400 HP engine, together with the 7-speed automatic transmission, the modern independent wheel suspension, the tire pressure control system, and the disengageable all-wheel drive, give the PIRANHA IIIC a high degree of mobility even in difficult terrain. Moreover, the protection against ballistic threats and against mines provides the crew with a maximum degree of protection in a mission. The vehicle is equipped with all necessary features (NBC system, autonomous power supply, A/C system, etc.) that are required for the 24-hour operation of the integrated systems.

Source: Press release