Romanian Army tests Piranha V weapon system

The Romanian Army has conducted tests with the weapon system and the remote-controlled turret of the Piranha V 8x8 wheeled APC under the acceptance process of the platform.

The Chief of Defense Staff, Lt Gen Daniel Petrescu, and the Chief of Staff of the Land Forces, Maj Gen Iulian Berdilă, watched the trial, on 3-4 November, in the National Joint Training Center ‘Getica,’ based in Cincu.

During the tests, soldiers of the 26th Infantry Battalion 'Neagoe Basarab,' from the Multinational Brigade of South-East from Craiova, trained shooting in the day and night conditions.

The Minister of National Defence, Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă claimed that, once the acceptance process is completed, the MND will sign the letter of credit for the second batch of platforms.

In late June, the MND announced that the first lot, with 36 vehicles, was handed over to the headquarters of mechanical plant Uzinei Mecanice București (UMB), for a final round of acceptance tests.

After the operational trials, those platforms will enter service with the 26th Infantry Battalion ‘Neagoe Basarab.’

An €868 million ($1 billion) contract was signed in 2018 between the MND and General Dynamics European Land Systems Mowag.

The deal comprised the procurement of 227 vehicles in six different configurations: IFV; command post; 120mm self-propelled mortar; CBRN; ambulance; and recovery vehicle.

It also included local production of Piranha V in Romania and a technology transfer project between the company and UMB.

In the same year, a subsequent contract was signed for acquiring other 94 platforms, the last of which is to be handed over in 2022.