According to information published on the Facebook account of the Romanian Minister of Defense Nicolae Ionel Ciucă, the first 36 wheeled armored vehicles Piranha V will be delivered to the Romanian army in the next few days after performing qualification tests at the Bucharest factory.
The Piranha V is the latest generation of 8×8 armored vehicle in the Piranha family designed and manufactured by the company GDELS (General Dynamics European Land Systems). In November 2019, GDELS has started the production of PIRANHA 5 vehicles at the factory of its strategic Romanian partner Uzina Mecanică București (UMB) which marks an important milestone in the PIRANHA 5 Program for the Romanian Army.
In January 2018, and as part of the Romanian Army’s plan to modernize its legacy wheeled armored vehicle fleet, GDELS signed a contract with the Romanian Army to deliver up to 227 PIRANHA 5 wheeled armored vehicles in six different configurations. The modern PIRANHA 5 vehicles will be produced in Romania under a strategic cooperation and transfer of technology project between GDELS – Mowag and the Romanian company Uzina Mecanică București (UMB).
The Piranha V as unveiled in June 2010 during Eurosatory, an International Defense Exhibition that was held in Paris, France. The Piranha V is already in service with Denmark, Monégasque Carabiniers. Spain has selected the vehicle for its VCR (Wheeled Tank Combat Vehicle) program under the name Dragon which is based on the Piranha V. Switzerland has ordered 32 Mörser 16 self-propelled mortar systems and 12 special vehicles on order to the Swiss Army. The Mörser 16 system consists of RUAG Cobra Mortar System mounted on PIRANHA 5 wheeled vehicle.
Compared to previous versions, the Piranha V has a higher level of protection, greater internal volume, more mobility, and a new power management system. It can be fitted with a wide range of weapon systems in manned or unmanned configuration armed with light machine guns, automatic cannons, or low-recoil guns up to 105mm caliber.
Source: Army Recognition