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Piranha 3

Armored Fighting Vehicle Series

Piranha 3 8x8 APC

Specifications

Country of Origin/Used by:	Switzerland (8x8 Mark 3C) and others including Belgium (3C), Botswana (3C), Brazil (3C), Denmark (3C & 3H), Ireland (3H), Romania (3C), Spain (3C), and Sweden (10x10 3C)
First Produced/Service Dates:	Mark 3= 1996 Mark 3C = 2007? Mark 3H = 1999?
Manufactured by:	General Dynamics European Land Systems-Mowag (was MOWAG AG)
Crew:	6x6 = Up to 3+11 8x8 = Up to 3+13 10x10 = Up to 3+ 15
Armament:	Determined by Variant/Version (From 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun to 105mm Cannon).  Otherwise, as fitted by user.
Engine:	6 Cylinder Turbo-Diesel (multiple options)
Miscellaneous Info:	Even with the success of the Piranha 1 and Piranha 2 series of vehicles, MOWAG continued development of the Piranha family and released the much improved Piranha 3 series. MOWAG continued the flexible concept of design that served them well in the past, but also added modular ballistic armor which allows for the relatively simple addition of upgradable protection packages.  Other improvements to the Piranha 3 series over previous versions was a higher level of mobility and higher payload capacity.  In addition, other vehicle systems were brought up to more modern levels.  These include the fitting of an Anti-Lock Braking System-ABS, Centralized Tire Inflation System-CTIS, Fire/Explosion Suppression System, NBC Detection/Protection, etc.  As was the norm, the Piranha 3 series was designed to fulfill many different requirements and missions, most notably by the ability to build the vehicle in 6x6, 8x8 and 10x10 configurations; although reportedly no 6x6 variants were ever fielded.  Possible variants/duties are air defense, ambulance, anti-tank, APC, armored sensor vehicle, cargo transport, command post, fire support, heavy weapons carrier, infantry combat vehicle, maintenance, mortar carrier, recovery and reconnaissance. The initial baseline Piranha 3 vehicles seem to have never been fielded in any configuration.  However, a slightly longer version, the Piranha, 3H, was quickly developed and fielded by Denmark and Ireland.  Subsequently, an even larger vehicle was developed, the Piranha 3C, which appears to be the most successful of the family in terms of versions and variants in service.  Besides the great success of the Piranha 3 series, a number of iconic vehicles were derived from the 8x8 platform including the Canadian LAV III, New Zealand's NZLAV and USA's Stryker IFV Series.
Data Sheet Available:	Piranha 3 AFV Series Sales Brochure via General Dynamics European Land Systems - MOWAG AG

Piranha 3 Variants with Separate Indices available at WarWheels.net

Other Photos               

Reference	Source/Provider
Piranha 3 8x8 Vehicle Photo (Above)	Neil Baumgardner - Arlington, Virginia USA
Belgian Piranha 3C 8x8 Vehicle Line-Up Photo	William Testaert - Brussels, Belgium
Piranha 3C 8x8 Vehicle Photos	Neil Baumgardner
Belgian Piranha 3C 8x8 Ambulance Photos	William Testaert
Belgian Piranha 3C 8x8 Fuselier Armored Infantry Vehicle Photos	Belgian Ministry of Defence
Danish Piranha 3C 8x8 APC Photo	Danish Defence Command
Piranha 3C 10x10 AFV Photos	Guenther Neumahr - Bern, Switzerland
Piranha 3H 8x8 Ambulance Photos	MOWAG AG
Piranha 3H 8x8 Vehicle Photos	MOWAG AG

References Available

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