Reasons for the success of MOWAG Piranha
Revolutionary approach
The foundations for the future commercial success of the Piranha family were laid at the stage of shaping the overall look and requirements for new technology. MOWAG planned to use some new solutions, refine already known ideas, and apply well-developed developments. Similarly, the selection of nodes and technologies was carried out.
From the very beginning, the Piranha was created as a universal platform capable of carrying any required equipment or weapons with minor modifications. The possibility of using such a platform for the construction of equipment with different wheel structure and corresponding capabilities was also explored. Subsequently, it was these ideas that ensured the development of the basic project and the creation of equipment with high commercial potential.
Initially, the MOWAG Piranha family included two versions of an armored vehicle on a three- and four-axle chassis. Later, a car with the wheel formula 4x4 appeared, and the largest model had an elongated chassis 10x10. The Piranha IIIC 10x10 chassis was not interested in customers, while other samples went into series. For a number of reasons, eight-wheeled armored vehicles were and are most popular on the market.
Sanitary option "Piranha". Photo Tanks-encyclopeia.com
It is curious that after the appearance of Piranha machines on the market, a number of similar samples appeared. Some solutions of Swiss designers, implemented on their platform, later became the de facto standard for wheeled armored vehicles and are used everywhere.
Platform Advantages
One of the prerequisites for the technical advantages and modernization potential of Piranha should be considered a successful layout in combination with the right choice of systems and assemblies. The bow of the hull is given over to the engine compartment and the driver’s compartment, while almost all other volumes are allocated to the payload. Transmission and suspension units are placed next to the cargo-passenger compartment and do not affect its capacity.
The manufacturing company as one of the advantages of Piranha calls the optimal ratio of internal volumes, payload and external dimensions. It is argued that in these parameters their machine is superior to other modern designs. As the family developed, the growth of payload and free volumes even outstripped the increase in external dimensions.
The existing engine compartment initially allowed the use of engines of various types. This allowed the customer to choose a power plant, and also left opportunities for further modernization. It is planned to use engines with power up to 400-500 hp, capable of providing high mobility to vehicles with different combat weight and load.
Initially, the Piranhas were equipped with a suspension with springs on the front axles and torsion bars on the rear. Subsequently, such systems were abandoned in favor of a controlled hydropneumatic suspension. It is argued that the new chassis is soft and allows you to increase capacity without major alterations to the design.
The first versions of Piranha had a reservation that provided all-round protection against bullets of normal caliber. Further protection was improved. Late cars of the family, with their own armor and attachments, can withstand small-caliber shells or undermine mines.
Danish armored personnel carrier Piranha V. Photo by the Danish Ministry of Defense / forsvarsgalleriet.dk
The combat weight of Pirahna vehicles, depending on the type and equipment, exceeds 9-10 tons. The heaviest member of the family was the 18-ton five-axle armored personnel carrier. Dimensions of equipment correspond to the dimensions of the cabins of the most common military transport aircraft.
Armament and equipment
Piranha was designed as a potential carrier of various weapons systems or special equipment. These capabilities have been successfully used in practice, thanks to which the armored chassis could become the basis for equipment of various classes.
The first projects appeared armored personnel carriers and wheeled infantry fighting vehicles. In this case, part of the internal compartment was given over to the fighting compartment, and in the remaining volumes there were places for landing. Depending on the length of the hull and the type of combat module, the landing compartment can accommodate at least 4-5 people. Piranha IIIC 10x10 in the configuration of the APC could carry an increased landing.
Initially, the armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles based on the Piranha were equipped with turrets or turrets with machine guns and small-caliber cannons. Later modifications received remotely controlled combat modules with the required weapons. A number of customers wished to complement the anti-tank missiles with barrel weapons. Full-fledged self-propelled anti-tank systems are also operated on such a chassis.
Wheel tank with an 105-mm cannon for the Saudi army. Photo Defense.pk
Of great interest are experiments with large-caliber artillery. Several countries purchased four-axle Piranha machines equipped with turrets with 90 mm guns. A five-axle chassis was used as a test carrier 105 mm tank guns. The prospective wheeled artillery self-propelled gun with a 155 mm howitzer was under study.
Not only armored fighting vehicles are being built on the basis of the Piranhas. The MOWAG product catalog contains a host of other equipment. Protected chassis with voluminous internal compartments were used for the construction of command and staff and ambulances, artillery reconnaissance vehicles, equipment for parts of the Russian Chemical Forces, engineering equipment, etc. were produced. In all cases, it was possible to maximize the potential of the existing wheeled chassis.
Potential and success
In fact, the Swiss company offered customers a basic platform for creating armored vehicles of the desired appearance. Through simple processing, such a platform turned into a necessary model 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, nearly two dozen countries have purchased equipment from the Piranha family. Some states have chosen to deploy licensed production of such machines at their enterprises. So, in Canada back in the seventies launched the construction of licensed armored vehicles AGVP. A few years later, on the basis of the Canadian AGVP, they created the LAV-25 project for the US Marine Corps. In the future, the experience in the production and operation of LAV-25 was used to create the Stryker platform.
The commercial successes of the Piranha project clearly show how successful the developments of MOWAG were for their time. The first version of the Piranha platform appeared at the right time and was able to interest some potential buyers. This served as a kind of advertising and contributed to the appearance of the following orders. The interest from new customers helped the development of the project and the emergence of new models of equipment in the family and beyond.
In the context of the MOWAG Piranha project, one can even talk about the influence and creation of new trends. It was within the framework of this family that the appearance of the modern armored personnel carrier or wheeled infantry fighting vehicle appeared and was used, which is still used and developed. All modern samples of this kind, despite these or other innovations, retain many familiar and recognizable features.
GDELS-MOWAG continues the development of the Piranha family and regularly presents new samples of various kinds. The last of the platforms of the Piranha V family has already gone into the series and is supplied to foreign customers. Perhaps the development of the next sample is already underway.
Over the past decades, the MOWAG company has shown impressive success and significantly influenced the development of armored combat vehicles. What will happen in the future - time will tell. Due to the new “Piranhas” GDELS-MOWAG can strengthen its position, but a negative scenario is also possible in which the company gives way to other manufacturers of similar armored vehicles. However, past achievements are not dependent on future events. The MOWAG Piranha project has already taken a special place in stories combat vehicles.
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