Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -- General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) announces that on December 17, 2007 the Brazilian Navy and MOWAG GmbH signed a contract for a further batch of 5 PIRANHA IIIC 8x8 in amphibious version.

The newly signed contract comprises 5 PIRANHA IIIC 8x8 APC vehicles in the configuration as delivered previously. The contract signed now is a follow-on order to the 7 vehicles ordered in 2006 (6 APCs and 1 Recovery Vehicle). The PIRANHAs will be used primarily within the framework of international UN mission of the Brazilian Marines in Haiti.

MOWAG believes that its products will appeal to many other customers in South America because of those countries' interoperability requirements with NATO and/or UN forces, in the light of joint peace keeping operations. The threat situation in such missions specifically calls for a high level of protection for the vehicle crews against mines, ballistic weapons and IEDs. With the worldwide operating PIRANHA IIIC 8x8, the technology-advanced company from Kreuzlingen-Switzerland offers a proven product, which fulfils this high-ranking requirement of protection, comfort and mobility.

The PIRANHA IIIC amphibious has a length of 7.57 m, a width of 2.71 m, and a GVW of 18.5 t. The vehicle reaches a speed of up to 100 km/h on the road. The PIRANHA IIIC easily manages gradients of up to 60%, fording depths of up to 1.50 m and is able to swim up to a speed of 10 km/h. The 400 HP engine, together with the 7-speed automatic transmission, the modern independent wheel suspension, the tire pressure control system, and the disengageable all-wheel drive, give the PIRANHA IIIC a high degree of mobility even in difficult terrain. Moreover, the protection against ballistic threats and against mines provides the crew with a maximum degree of protection in a mission. The vehicle is equipped with all necessary features (NBC system, autonomous power supply, A/C system, etc.) that are required for the 24-hour operation of the integrated systems.

MOWAG GmbH
10.02.2008