The German Army has selected the Piranha 5 as one of the vehicle platforms for TaWAN LBO. (GDELS)
The German Army has selected the General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) Piranha 5 8×8 armoured vehicle as one of the platforms for the Bundeswehr's Tactical Wide Area Network for Land Based Operations (TaWAN LBO)-integrated communication network, the company announced in a press release on 20 February. GDELS, which is working with TaWAN prime contractor Rheinmetall, valued the order for the first batch of 58 of up to 256 vehicles in the three-digit million euro range, with deliveries beginning in 2026.
The Piranha 5 will be equipped with a 15 m telescopic mast system, which will serve as a highly mobile, armoured connectivity point in the TaWAN. GDELS noted that the Piranha 3 Kompak, a similar long-range communication vehicle variant, has been in service with the Swiss army for years.
Thomas Kauffmann, GDELS vice-president and managing director of GDELS-Deutschland, said his company would establish manufacturing and sustainment capabilities in Germany. GDELS will set up a system support centre in Neubrandenburg, northeastern Germany, to ensure immediate technical and logistic sustainment and operational readiness.
TaWAN procurement
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