Army of Moldova receives 3 more Piranha 3H APCs

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The Moldovan Army on February 14 took delivery of three more Piranha-3H armored personnel carriers from the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.
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The German donation mentions a total of 19 Piranha-3H armored personnel carriers (Picture source: MoD of Moldova)

The Piranha-3H APCs are received in the context of achieving the objective of modernizing the capabilities of the National Army. The army of Moldova received, on January 12, the first three Piranha-3H Armored Personnel Carriers among the 19 vehicles offered by Germany, in a ceremony organized in Military Camp 142. The donation is based on the agreement signed with the German side and as a result of the official visit of German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht to Chisinau. These APCs will be used in the training process of the military, who are to be deployed in international peacekeeping missions first.

The first batch of Piranhas arrived in Moldova in January 2023. The donation mentions a total of 19 Piranha-3H armored personnel carriers. The other technical units will be delivered during the current year.

Piranha-3H

Designed by the Swiss company Mowag (since 2010 General Dynamics European Land Systems – Mowag GmbH), and Based on the Piranha-3C, the Piranha-3H has a composite armor suite. At the time of its introduction in 1996, it had the highest level of protection compared with previous Piranhas and LAV series vehicles. The vehicle is operated by a crew of 2 or 3. It can carry 8-9 fully-equipped soldiers. Five engine options were available. These were the German MTU 6V182 TE22 developing 400 hp, the Swedish Scania DSJ9-48A developing 400 hp, the American Caterpillar 3126 developing 350 hp, the American Detroit Diesel 6V53TA developing 350 hp, and the British Cummins 6CTAA8.3-T350 developing 350 hp.

The amphibious capability was optional. These APCs had a trim vane and were propelled on water by two waterjets. Maximum speed in water was about 10 km/h. However, it seems that the amphibious version received no production orders.