First shooting tests for Spanish VCR 8x8 Dragon armored vehicle.

The official shooting tests by the joint venture (UTE in Spanish) Wheeled Tank Combat Vehicle 8x8 "Dragon" concluded successfully. The prototypes under evaluation were the D1, equipped with the Tizona turret, and the D2 which is fitted with a Samson 30 weapon station.
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The prototypes under evaluation were the D1, equipped with the Tizona turret, and the D2 which is fitted with a Samson 30 weapon station. (Picture source: Spanish army)

Designated Vehiculo de Combate sobre Ruedas (VCR), or Combat Vehicle on Wheels, the vehicle GDELS will manufacture for the Spanish Army in cooperation with Santa Bárbara Sistemas is based on the company’s Piranha 5 vehicle. It was expected to be delivered to the Spanish armed forces in 13 different configurations. However, the actual number of configurations, as well as the number of vehicles to be delivered, remains to finally determine.

The Piranha 5 is the latest generation of 8x8 wheeled armored vehicles produced by the company GDELS (General Dynamics European Land Systems). The vehicle is already in service with Monégasque Carabiniers, Romania, Denmark, and the Swiss Army.

The TIZONA turret is developed by the companies Navantia, EXPAL and Elbit Systems for the Spanish military program to acquire new 8x8 armored vehicles.

The TIZONA is an unmanned turret armed with one 30mm automatic cannon. The second armament includes one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and two launchers able to fire the Israeli Spike anti-tank guided missile. In road condition, the missile launcher system is stored inside the turret and can be erected on the roof the turret to perform firing operations.

The Samson turret is designed and manufactured by the Israeli company Rafael. The Samson Mk II offers significant improvement, including lower silhouette, optional armor protection, and boosted crew survivability with under-armor reloading. The turret can be armed with a main gun up to 40mm as well as Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM). The second armament also includes one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun.

D1 prototype (with the Tizona turret) of the VCR Dragon firing a Spike ATGM Anti-Tank Guided Missile (Picture source: Spanish army)