Piranha
The Piranha family of light armored vehicles, available in 4x4, 6x6, 8x8 and 10x10 configurations, has become the choice of military customers around the world. Mission roles include Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), NBC Reconnaissance, Command, Control & Communication, Maintenance, Recovery, and Ambulance variants. Other customer specific variants are available.
MOWAG (Motorwagenfabrik AG) was founded in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland in 1950 by engineer Walter Ruf. The company specialized in the production of the Mowag T1 4 × 4 all-wheel drive truck, which since 1953 began to be supplied to the Swiss and German armies. The company reached its maximum prosperity by 1972, when the production of the Piranha armored vehicle began, which very quickly captured the world arms market.
In August 1999 Diesel Division, General Motors of Canada Limited (DDGM), announced the acquisition of the privately owned Mowag Motorwagenfabrik AG (MOWAG), based in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. The sale formalizes a 22-year working relationship between the two companies that has focussed on the design development, international licensing and manufacturing of the Piranha family of light armoured, wheeled military vehicles. DDGM had recently begun production of a new and significantly larger category of the Piranha 8x8, known as the LAV III, as part of a 651-unit replacement program for the Canadian Forces.
General Dynamics entered into a definitive agreement to acquire General Motors Defense for $1.1 billion in cash. General Motors Defense of London, Ontario, is a business unit of General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM, GMH) of Detroit, Michigan. The transaction, which had been approved by the boards of directors of both companies, was subject to normal regulatory approval. It was expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2003, and would be immediately accretive to earnings. GM Defense produces wheeled armored vehicles and turrets. In a joint venture with General Dynamics, GM Defense produces Stryker, the U.S. Army’s transformational combat vehicle. Other GM Defense products include the LAV (Light Armored Vehicle) for Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia; and the Piranha combat vehicle for a number of international customers. It anticipates 2002 revenues of approximately $950 million, and has a backlog of more than $1.5 billion.
The company had 2,400 employees in four operating units: GM Defense, Delco Systems in Goleta, California; GM Defence, Australia in Adelaide, South Australia; GM Defense, Canada in London, Ontario; and MOWAG Motorwagenfabrik AG in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. General Dynamics anticipated no changes to production workforces in any of the GM Defense locations, and will honor all existing labor agreements.
The PIRANHA provides the features and performance required of a modern multirole vehicle, one which is well suited to practically any battlefield or peace-keeping/peace enforcing role anywhere in the world. Due to the design concept of this y multipurpose vehicle, a wide range of special variants were built to meet the specific requirements of customers.
The modular, exchangeable protection concept is adaptable to various threats; Different add-on modules that can be installed in the field for specific missions; Ballistic protection against KE, projectiles, fragments and bomblets; Mine protection against Anti-Tanks (AT) blast mines, claymore - type mines, and protection against Rocked Propelled Grenades (RPG), Explosive Formed Penetrators (EFP), Improvised Explosive Devices(IED), and artillery shells; Active Protection System against Anti-tank Guided Missiles (TGM).
The independent wheel suspension with high vertical wheel travel is proven in all types of terrains under all climate conditions; High performance and outstanding reliability; Optional amphibious capability for rivers, lakes and seawater. Integrated Logistic Support provides life support by an integrated approach to maintenance and supply, high system availability, ease of maintenance and low life cycle costs.
In fact, the Swiss company offered customers a basic platform for creating armored vehicles of the desired appearance. Through simple revisions, such a platform turned into a necessary sample and was immediately put into series. In the seventies, such a modular approach to the production of armored vehicles was not yet familiar, which was one of the reasons for the success of the Piranha project.
Over the past decades, almost two dozen countries have purchased equipment from the Piranha family. Some states wished to expand the licensed production of such machines at their enterprises. So, in Canada, back in the seventies, they launched the construction of licensed AGVP armored vehicles. A few years later, on the basis of the Canadian AGVP, the LAV-25 project was created for the US Marine Corps. In the future, the experience of production and operation of the LAV-25 was used to create the Stryker platform.
The commercial success of the Piranha project clearly shows how successful MOWAG's developments were for their time. The first version of the Piranha platform came at the right time and was able to interest some potential buyers. This served as a kind of advertising and contributed to the emergence of the following orders. Interest from new customers helped the development of the project and the emergence of new models of equipment in the family and beyond.
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