Romanian Army awaits imminent delivery of first Piranhas
Arrival of first 8x8 wheeled APCs in the coming days fulfils a ‘dire need’ for the Romanian Army, according to the country’s defence minister
The first batch of 36 Piranha V 8x8 wheeled APCs for the Romanian Army are set to be delivered in the coming days, Minister of Defence Nicolae Ionel Ciucă has announced.
The Piranhas have completed qualification and factory acceptance tests (pictured) at Uzinei Mecanice București. They will enter service with the 26th Infantry Battalion, based in Craiova.
Ciucă admitted on 5 October that the Romanian Army was in ‘dire need of a vehicle to ensure mobility, increased firepower, [and] also increased protection’.
Piranha V and derivatives of the same platform are needed to ensure Romanian Army capabilities match NATO requirements.
An €868 million ($1 billion) agreement to acquire Piranhas V was signed in 2018 between the Romanian Ministry of National Defence and General Dynamics European Land Systems Mowag.
It included procurement of 227 vehicles in six different configurations (IFV; command post; 120mm self-propelled mortar; CBRN; ambulance; and recovery vehicle).
The Piranhas are intended to replace Romania’s fleet of legacy 8x8 licence-produced BTR-60/70/80 APCs and locally built TABC-79 4x4 armoured vehicles.
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