In April, General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) unveiled the Piranha Heavy Mission Carrier (HMC), a new variant of its “Piranha” infantry fighting vehicle. It is based on a 10×10 chassis and is equipped with advanced transmission and multi-link suspension (MLS) technologies.
GDELS emphasized that the Piranha HMC meets the growing need for highly maneuverable wheeled armored vehicle platforms for increasingly demanding missions. The 40-ton vehicle can carry a payload of 17 tons while offering superior off-road mobility and obstacle-crossing capabilities with a turning radius of less than 18 meters.
Less than a month later, KNDS Deutschland announced a partnership with GDELS for this new vehicle. In a joint statement, the two companies unveiled a solution that combines a fully automated 155mm (cal. 52) artillery gun module (AGM) with the Piranha HMC.
(Also Read: More wheels, more power: GDELS rolls out innovative 10×10 Piranha HMC)
According to the German subsidiary of KNDS and GDELS, this system, which combines “excellent tactical mobility with greater firepower,” will be presented at a conference on future artillery in Paris in June.
They added that “the AGM mounted on the Piranha HMC can be operated by two gunners without any constraints” and that this “vehicle offers enough space for a third crew member” or to carry additional ammunition.
“Thanks to its robust 10×10 multi-link chassis, no vertical support is needed for firing, as is the case with other conventional wheeled howitzers. The AGM allows full system autonomy in terms of command, navigation, and fire control, as well as entirely new operational options due to its stability,” the manufacturers pointed out, stressing its ability to “fire on the move.”
Furthermore, the statement recalled, “KNDS also offers the AGM on the 8×8 wheeled Boxer vehicle in the RCH155 variant,” which has a firing rate of 9 rounds per minute and a range of at least 40 km.
While there is already a significant market for wheeled self-propelled howitzers like the Archer, the Atmos 2000, the Zuzana 2, the 2S22 Bohdana, and the CAESAr (6×6 and 8×8), a Finnish company called Patria is also developing its own solution. They are attaching a 155K98 155mm howitzer to a Sisu E13TP 8×8 truck chassis, adding to the competitive landscape.
