Mowag Piranha

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Mowag Piranha

Irish Army Mowag Piranha IIIH (armed with 12.7 mm HMG), on the streets of Dublin for the 2006 Easter Military Parade.
Type Armoured wheeled vehicle
Place of origin Flag of Switzerland Switzerland
Specifications
Weight From 9,500 kg[1]
Length 6.25 to 7.45 m[1]
Width 2.5 to 2.66 m[1]
Height 1.8 to 1.98 m[1]
Speed 100 km/h [2]

The Mowag Piranha is a family of armoured fighting vehicles designed and manufactured by the Swiss Mowag corporation (now part of General Dynamics European Land Combat Systems). Four generations of vehicles have been produced, and variants include the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) in service with many militaries.

Contents

[edit] Design and development

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[edit] Variants

It is available in 4x4, 6x6, 8x8, and 10x10 wheel versions. There are several variants within these versions, giving different degrees of armour protection and several kinds of turrets, for use in a variety of roles. Piranha derivatives have been assigned roles as troop transports, command vehicles, fire support vehicles, tank trainers, and police vehicles.

Piranhas are used by the Swiss Army. Swiss-built Piranha derivatives have been exported to Sweden, Denmark, Ireland and Spain. Piranha derivatives have been manufactured under licence by General Dynamics (Canada), BAE Systems Land Systems (UK), Komatsu (Japan), Cardoen and FAMAE (Chile), and in the USA.

The Belgian Army has selected the Piranha IIIC 8x8. It has decided to convert to all wheeled vehicles, simultaneously removing the current main battle tank, the Leopard 1, from the inventory. The Piranha is modern and armoured, but lacks the protection, firepower and mobility of a conventional tracked tank.

The 8x8 US Army Stryker vehicle is derived from the Canadian LAV III which in turn is based on the Piranha, as is the LAV 25 family in service with the USMC. The Australian Defence Force also has its own modified version of the Piranha known as the ASLAV (Australian Light Armoured Vehicle). The ASLAV is operated by two cavalry regiments (the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment) and is used in the armoured reconnaissance and armoured personnel carrier roles.

Some variants, like the United States Marine Corps's Light Armored Vehicle-25 (LAV 25) and its derivatives, are equipped with propellers for amphibious use, though their abilities are limited to sheltered waters.

A new Piranha V version, weighing in between 25 to 30 tons, was announced as the provisional winner of the British Army's FRES program on the 8th May 2008.[3]

Irish Piranha on public display
Irish Piranha on public display

[edit] Family tree

[edit] Operators

[edit] Gallery

Piranha-derived LAV25 in USMC service

Prototype of a Mobile Gun System derivative of the Piranha, mounting a 105 mm tank gun

Canadian Forces LAV III

Canadian Piranha-derived, six-wheeled Cougar AVGP, with Scorpion tank turret (76 mm gun)

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c d FAS.org - Piranha overview - Stats
  2. ^ Army-Technology.com - Specifications - Piranha III / LAV III Wheeled Armoured Vehicles
  3. ^ Drayson: New vehicles will have "vital part to play in the Army of the future". United Kingdom Ministry of Defense (June 8, 2007). Retrieved on July 4, 2007.
  4. ^ Chilean built 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 in different configurations for the Chilean Army.
  5. ^ Ghana Armed Forces

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
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Modern wheeled infantry fighting vehicles and personnel carriers
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Al-Fahd · AMV · ASLAV · AV-81 Terrex · Boxer MRAV · BTR-3 · BTR-4 · BTR-80 · BTR-90 · BTR-94 · Centauro VBC · CM-32 · FNSS Pars  · LAV-25 · LAV III · Luchs · LVS · Piranha · NZLAV  · Pandur II 8x8 · Rooikat · Stryker · OT-64 SKOT · VBCI · Yavuz · Terrex
10 × 10
FNSS Pars  · Piranha