Switzerland Replaces M109 Fleet with 32 AGM 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers on Piranha IV Vehicles.

Switzerland has signed a contract for 32 AGM Artillery Gun Module self-propelled howitzers mounted on the Piranha IV 10x10 armored vehicle, replacing its aging M109 fleet with a more mobile and longer-range artillery capability. The deal, announced by armasuisse on June 8, 2026, strengthens the Swiss Armed Forces’ ability to deliver rapid indirect fire across the country while improving responsiveness and survivability in modern high-intensity operations.

The new system combines the AGM’s automated artillery firepower with the mobility of the Swiss-built Piranha IV, enabling faster deployment and shoot-and-scoot tactics that reduce vulnerability to counter-battery attacks. Beyond the 32 production systems, the contract includes a prototype, training and simulation assets, logistics support, and ammunition-handling resources, reflecting a broader effort to modernize Switzerland’s land forces for future battlefield requirements.

Related topic: GDELS and KNDS Combine PIRANHA 10x10 and AGM 155mm Cannon to Create a New NATO Howitzer.

Switzerland will procure 32 KNDS AGM 155mm self-propelled howitzers on Piranha IV 10x10 wheeled armored vehicles to replace its aging M109 fleet, improving range, mobility, automated fire control and survivability for territorial defense from 2031 (Picture source: Army Recognition Group).

The decision closes a long evaluation cycle rather than opening a new requirement. Armasuisse shortlisted options in August 2022, conducted mobility trials in Switzerland and additional field and logistics assessments abroad, and selected the AGM on Piranha IV in November 2024. The program was then included in the Armed Forces Dispatch 2025, under which the Federal Council requested CHF 1.697 billion in commitment credits, including CHF 1.512 billion for armament investments. Parliament approved the dispatch in September 2025 after rejecting attempts to remove funding for medium-distance indirect fire support.

The core weapon is the KNDS AGM, an unmanned and remotely operated 155mm/L52 artillery module compatible with the NATO Joint Ballistics Memorandum of Understanding. KNDS lists a rate of fire of nine rounds per minute, a 360-degree traverse, elevation from -2.5 degrees to +65 degrees, 30 ready projectiles, and 144 modular charges in direct access. Published range figures depend on projectile and charge combination: up to 40 km with base-bleed ammunition, up to 54 km with V-LAP ammunition, and potentially longer distances with guided projectiles such as Vulcano or Excalibur. Switzerland is moving from an older howitzer optimized for Cold War-era fire plans to a digital 155mm/L52 weapon able to exploit modern ammunition, automated laying, and networked target data.

The automation changes how the gun is fought. Loading, aiming, and fire-control functions are automated, while the crew requirement is two to three soldiers, reducing manpower per gun and limiting exposure during fire missions. The AGM has onboard ballistic calculation, a fire-control computer, radio data links to artillery command systems, high-precision navigation with or without GPS support, inductive fuze programming during loading, and degraded operating modes if parts of the automated chain are impaired. This is relevant for Switzerland because a militia-based force must generate artillery crews, maintain proficiency, and integrate reservists into a digital command structure without expanding personnel requirements across every gun detachment. It also reduces the physical handling burden associated with 155mm ammunition, which is a major factor in sustained firing operations.

The Piranha IV 10x10 configuration is not an incidental choice. GDELS describes the Heavy Mission Carrier as a five-axle armored vehicle, with four steered axles, a turning circle under 18.5 meters, low axle loads, high internal volume, and the ability to absorb recoil during rapid firing and displacement. The broader Piranha 10x10 family is listed with a 40-ton gross weight and up to 18 tons of payload, giving the chassis enough mass margin for the gun module, ammunition, crew protection, electronics, and growth potential. For Switzerland, the 10x10 layout is a compromise between tracked howitzer firepower and wheeled vehicle road mobility. It is better suited than a heavy tracked howitzer for repeated movement on a dense national road network, bridge crossings, and dispersed firing positions, while still offering more recoil stability and payload than a lighter 8x8 artillery truck.

Operationally, the system addresses three Swiss problems at once: range, survivability, and responsiveness. The M109’s age is not only a maintenance issue; it constrains how far Swiss artillery can influence the battlefield and how fast batteries can reposition after firing. The new howitzer is intended to reach a 50 km effective distance, compared with the shorter reach of the legacy fleet, and to operate as part of a sensor-to-shooter chain using modern reconnaissance, digital command, and automated fire processes. In the Swiss terrain, that means a battery can cover more valleys, road axes, and approach corridors from fewer firing areas. It also means a battery can engage targets deeper in an adversary’s tactical rear, including artillery positions, command posts, logistics nodes, and assembly areas.

Tactically, the most important feature is the reduction of time spent in a firing position. Counter-battery radars, acoustic sensors, and unmanned aerial vehicles have shortened the window between firing and being detected. A wheeled howitzer that can receive data digitally, lay automatically, fire several rounds, and displace quickly is better adapted to that threat than a slower, manually intensive gun line. The AGM also supports Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact fire, allowing several shells to arrive nearly at the same time by using different trajectories. That matters against targets that disperse rapidly, such as artillery batteries or mechanized units halted in transit. KNDS also states that the system can conduct direct and indirect engagements against moving land and sea targets, a useful but specialized capability for defending confined approaches, lake areas, or fixed infrastructure near likely avenues of movement.

The ammunition and logistics package deserves attention because the gun’s performance depends on more than the cannon. Switzerland is buying modern projectiles, fuzes, and ammunition, as well as 32 KNDS-developed ammunition loading containers. These containers indicate that Bern is thinking about the full firing cycle: storage, movement, replenishment, safety, and reload tempo. A 30-round onboard supply can be consumed quickly at high rates of fire, so ammunition handling becomes a limiting factor after the first missions. Containerized resupply supports dispersed ammunition points and reduces dependence on large fixed depots that would be vulnerable to long-range fires or sabotage. This also connects to the Swiss debate over ammunition stocks, where Parliament approved the 2025 armament program but did not approve an additional CHF 1 billion ammunition credit in September 2025.

The procurement also has an industrial and political rationale. KNDS is the prime contractor, but GDELS-Mowag provides a Swiss-made Piranha IV carrier vehicle, keeping part of the value chain in Switzerland and using a vehicle family already familiar to the Swiss Army. That matters for sustainment, training, infrastructure, and wartime resilience. The Federal Council’s armament policy strategy, adopted on June 20, 2025, emphasizes cooperation with European suppliers while preserving industrial capabilities in Switzerland, and this contract follows that line. The result is not a large artillery force by European standards, but it gives Switzerland a more credible, mobile, and networked medium-range fire capability for the 2030s. In practical terms, the AGM on Piranha IV gives Swiss commanders fewer guns than many larger armies, but each gun will cover more ground, move more often, and connect more directly to sensors and command systems than the M109 it replaces.

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Written by Evan Lerouvillois, Defense Analyst.

Evan studied International Relations, and quickly specialized in defense and security. He is particularly interested in the influence of the defense sector on global geopolitics, and analyzes how technological innovations in defense, arms export contracts, and military strategies influence the international geopolitical scene.