The Piranha V multi-role armoured fighting vehicle is the fifth generation variant of the Mowag Piranha family of vehicles. It was designed by General Dynamics European Land Systems - Mowag GmbH. The first prototype was completed in 2008. It was first introduced during the Eurosatory exhibition in 2010.
The Piranha V was developed by General Dynamics UK and General Dynamics European Land Systems - Mowag GmbH. It was designed to meet the British Army requirements of the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) program. In 2007, it was announced that three vehicles were participating in the program: the Boxer, the VBCI, and the Piranha V.
In 2008, the Piranha V was announced as the provisional selection in the FRES program. However, no production order was announced, and the contract was subsequently cancelled in December 2008. By the end of 2008, the first prototype was finished. The vehicle was presented by GDELS at the Eurosatory exhibition in 2010, together with a new variant of the ASCOD IFV. In 2016, it was successfully loaded into an Airbus A400M cargo aircraft during an evaluation exercise in Seville.
A live firing test was conducted at Camp Rena in Norway, in 2019, with the presence of the Romanian procurement authority. The Piranha V, fitted with the Israeli UT30 MK 2 passed the series of static and dynamic shooting tests in harsh environmental conditions, exceeding the customer's requirements, as noted by GDELS.
In 2024 GD General Dynamics European Land Systems unvailed the 10x10 Piranha V HMC that can be equipped in either a bridging, howitzers, troop transport or howitzer configuration
The Piranha V is available with a MTU 6V199 TE21 diesel engine producing . Both Denmark and Spain, however, have opted for a different powerpack built by the Spanish company SAPA, consisting of a Scania Diesel engine with 480 kW coupled with the SW 624 automatic transmission, and an auxiliary power unit with 75 kW.
Standard armour (STANAG 4569, Level 4/4b) offers all-round 14.5mm AP protection and 20mm-23mm AP on front. Can offer full protection for the crew if a 10 kg explosive AT mine explodes under the hull. Add-ons can offer all-round protection to 25mm AP rounds and level 5 STANAG 4569.
The Piranha V is developed as a modular payload with the 6x6, 8x8 and 10x10 featuring a 7.5, 14.5 and 18 ton payload capacity
At the end of 2015, Denmark announced the order of 308 vehicles. The first Piranhas were to arrive in 2018, with the last arriving in 2023. The Piranha V was selected as the replacement of the old M113. It was selected over the CV90 Armadillo, the ASCOD, and the VBCI.
The Danish Piranha V contract includes six different variants: infantry, command, pioneer, ambulance, repair and mortar. The first pre-production variant vehicles arrived in 2017, with the first production variants being officially handed over to the Armed Forces in March 2019.
In 2017 the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization(DALO) signed a deal to have Elbit System subsidiary ELSAIT install their A3MS 120mm mortar system in 15 Piranha Vs
In 2020, the ambulance version was received. The vehicles were assigned to the 1st Brigade where they replaced the Piranha III and Mowag DURO 6x6.
In 2020 the Danish Finansudvalg cleared the Danish MoD to use 128 millon DKK(20 million USD) on having GDELS and MILDEF AB convert 110 Piranha V APCs into Communication and Information Systems (CIS) and Geospatial (GEO) command platform
In 2023, the Danish Ministry of Defence announced that it selected the Skyranger 30 as part of its planned ground air defense system. The Skyranger system is to be mounted on the Piranha V platform. The integration will be performed by the Danish company Terma A/S.
All Piranha V have been and continue to be deployed by the Danish military as part of the contingents to Estonia and Latvia as part of NATO EFP.
The Piranha V has also seen service as part of civilian readiness where theyve served as ambulances during harsh winters where normal ambulances would not be able to navigate
The Piranha V has received harsh criticism by its users within the Danish armed forces due to issues including possible radio interference discharging the machine gun, problems with the vehicle brakes and a lack of both spare parts and mechanics who can repair the faults that occur on an ongoing basis. In 2024, it was reported that the Piranha V armored personnel carriers are planned to be retired from infantry use in favor of other infantry fighting vehicles, with the Piranhas relegated to command and control, engineering, artillery and expeditionary deployment use.
As part of the programme "TaWAN LBO (Taktische Wide Area Network Landbasierte Operationen) Richtfunkmanagement, klein", the German Army selected the Piranha V StratCom (Strategic Communication Systems), an armoured vehicle that was presented by GDELS at Eurosatory 2024. It is equipped with a 15-meter communication mast system with point-to-point radio systems, and a C4I command system.
The "Richtfunkpanzer" was selected by the Germany in January 2025, and ordered in February 2025.
The German Army plans to replace the Hummel vehicle, a jammer based on the TPz Fuchs with a Piranha 6ÃÂ6 called the "Maus Störpanzer" (Mobiles Aufklärungsunterstützungssystem).
The purchase of 90 vehicles was blocked by the budget committee in January 2026. The experience in Ukraine showed that the protection level and the range of the system was not sufficient for the needs. The initial plan was to procure 40 operational systems and two prototypes for an initial sum of â¬596 million. A new tendering process will be initiated, and will include Hensoldt and Plath in the list of competitors.
In 2017, Romania signed a 900 million euro contract with General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) for the purchase and production of 227 Piranha V armored personnel carriers in Romania. The joint venture between GDELS and (UMB) also aims to provide the Piranha V to the export market in the area. Besides production, a military vehicle maintenance section will also operate at UMB.
The first batch of 36 vehicles, was produced at GDELS-Mowag's facilities in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland, 10 of which were assembled in Bucharest. The first batch included 30 vehicles in Infantry Fighting Vehicle configuration equipped with 30 mm cannons, and 6 in mobile command point configuration, and was assigned to the 26th Infantry Battalion "Neagoe Basarab", also known as the Red Scorpions, in October 2020. A second batch of 32 vehicles assembled at UMB, was received in November 2022. Another 26 Piranhas were received in different configurations, including mortar carriers, equipped with Spear MK2 120 mm mortars, ambulances, CBRN, and recovery vehicles. The rest of the vehicles will be entirely produced in Romania. On 10 February 2023, it was announced that Romania will purchase another 150 Piranha V for an estimated cost of 674 million US dollars. In June 2025, it was reported that 80% of the local production was completed and that UMB will produce another 150 vehicles. A total of 122 vehicles were delivered to the Romanian Army in 2025.
In May 2023, 25 Piranhas of the 26th Infantry Battalion participated in the Anakonda 23 exercise. The Romanian soldiers carried out a 1,000 kilometer march to the Polish training grounds in Nowa DÃÂba where they trained together with troops from Slovenia, Poland, and the United States.
Under the VehÃÂculo de Combate sobre Ruedas (VCR) program, the Spanish Ministry of Defence selected a local team in 2015 to develop the future 8ÃÂ8 armored infantry vehicle which is to replace the old BMR, VEC, and M113 vehicles in the Spanish Army endowment. The team, formed by Indra Sistemas, Sapa Placencia, and the joint venture General Dynamics European Land Systems-Santa Bárbara Sistemas based the vehicle on the Piranha V design.
In 2018, the first 5 demonstrators were received. The contract for the armored vehicle, known as the ' by the Spanish Army, was awarded in 2020 for 1.74 billion euros, 733 million of which was awarded to GDLS-SBS. It included 348 vehicles, maintenance and life cycle support, as well as the support for international commercialization. The contract is expected to grow to 1,000 vehicles. The Dragón began trials in 2022, after passing the critical design review. Of the 348, 219 are to be in IFV configuration, 58 reconnaissance vehicles, 49 sappers combat vehicles, and 14 command post vehicles. The deliveries are scheduled to finish by 2027.
The first batch of vehicles was delivered on 20 December 2022. The 7 vehicles were received during a ceremony attended by the Secretary of State for Defence, and the Army Chief of Staff. The vehicles are being produced by TESS Defence, an association between Santa Bárbara Sistemas, Indra Sistemas, Escribano Mechanical & Engineering, and Sapa Placencia.
As part of the programme SpähFz NG" (Spähfahrzeug Next Generation), the German Army launched a bidding process to find a successor to the Fennek. The competitors were the Rheinmetall TPz Fuchs Evolution and the Patria 6ÃÂ6 (offered by KNDS Deutschland).
In October 2024, the Piranha was selected by the German Army, and the contract was expected to be signed in early 2025.
The initial plan was for the purchase of 2 prototypes, with a firm contract for 90 vehicles, and an option of 160 vehicles. As of October 2025, the quantity was changed to an order of 356 "Luchs 2 SpähFz NG" vehicles (274 firm and an option for 82 vehicles), and the budget of â¬3.5 billion was approved by the budget committee of the parliament.
The design of the vehicle is the following: