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Background — Close Combat Vehicle — GDLS-Canada Piranha
5 IFV |
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Predatory Piscid from the Muddy Banks of the Thames – GDLS-C Piranha 5 CCV Candidate
When it was rumoured that General Dynamics would enter the Piranha 5 in the CCV contest, we assumed that
meant GDELS' Piranha 5 IFV demonstrator with the Canadian-assembled Kongsberg 30mm MC RWS (Medium Calibre - Remote Weapon System ). [1] Not so. Apparently GDLS-Canada promotions folks have found their way back from cottage country to set the
record straight with a video release. Their Piranha 5 CCV will be armed with a Lance turret from
erstwhile CCV competitor, Rheinmetall Canada. GDLS-C made their candidate for CCV official in Aug 2011.
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The Toothy Fishes' Progression: the Piranha / LAV III Begets the Piranha IV Evolution,
Piranha Evo, Piranha V and Piranha 5
General Dynamics Land Systems' fifth generation LAV had lengthy labour pangs. Like the LAV III, the enlarged and
better protected siblings began with Switzerland's Mowag. A prototype Piranha IV emerged in 2001 but found no
customers. The technology demonstrating Piranha IV Evolution became Piranha Evo and,
in turn, led to an even larger variant, the Piranha V, now Piranha Class 5 or plain
Piranha 5, of which IFV is one variant.
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Piranha 5 IFV with Lance Modular Turret System
For CCV, the Piranha 5 IFV mounts the same Lance Modular Turret System (MTS ) seen on the ARTEC
Boxer (a former CCV competitor ). [2] Rheinmetall's Lance MTS is designed for a range of
guns but, of course, Rheinmetall would prefer its own 30mm gun the Wotan 30mm MK30-2/ABM. However, if
choice of weapon swings against them, RWS can easily fit the rival externally-powered gun – ATK's Mk44. [3] The
Lance MTS is 2-man turret but with a future unmanned option. In one sense, this makes Lance MTS a
lower risk choice for DND compared with competing Kongsberg MC RWS. [4]
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GDLS-Canada (GDELS)
Piranha 5 – CCV Candidate Specifications
| Crew: |
3 (driver, gunner, veh cdr) + 8
dismounts (transporter) |
| Armament: |
Rheinmetall 30mm Lance Modular Turret
System [5] |
Size:
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Length 8.0m, width 2.99m, height 2.34m
( to hull top
of tranporter version, no height released for IFV type) |
| Weight: |
17 tonnes (empty), 30-33 tonnes (GVW), 16t payload |
| Powerplant: |
580kW MTU 6V199 turbodiesel, ZF Ecomat auto
trans |
| Performance: |
Max 100 km/h, range 550 km (with mixed on/off road) |
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Piranha 5 would be a 'made-in-Canada' solution with hulls built at the GDLS-C London, Ontario plant,
armour/protection equipment by Armatec (also in London) and all Lance turret development shifted to Quebec's
Rheinmetall Canada. Only drivetrain components and the armament would be imported. Good for Canadian taxpayers (since
only locally-assembled turrets were specified for CCV ) but both Nexter and BAE are also offering domestic assembly.
The real question is: does DND want wheeled vehicles for CCV? GDLS-C claims that the
Piranha 5 "suspension technology allows [it] to go anywhere a ... tracked vehicle can go". Even still, the
visual similarities between LAV III and Piranha 5 will make it significantly harder for DND to sell the CCV
to the citizenry.
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[1] Kongsberg's unmanned Medium Calibre - Remote Weapon System can take a range of main guns between
30mm and 50mm in calibre.
[2] ARTEC has now declined to submit Boxer for the CCV contest. No reason was given but the withdrawl of
Boxer (and of Rheinmetall's IFV/CCV, a rebuilt/upgraded Marder) has freed Rheinmetall
Canada to partner with GDLS-C to provide the Lance MTS to its former rival.
[3] The ATK Mk 44 Bushmaster II, as its name suggests, is a 30mm development of in-service 25mm
M242 Bushmaster chain guns (which arms CF LAV IIIs and Coyotes). Should the LAV III Upgrade program
result in a switch to 30mm, ATK has an obvious advantage with its Mk 44 for CCV as well. Other Lance main
armament options are: 35mm Bushmaster III (as on CV9035) or 40mm CTA ( plus the coaxial C6 ).
[4] The cast list gets confusing. Kongsberg and Rheinmetall Canada co-market the Protector RWS but
compete on medium-calibre RWS. Strangely, in light of that Rheinmetall arrangement, Kongsberg has begun
marketing the MC RWS as its Protector Medium Caliber RWS.
[5] As noted above, there are a range of gun type options for the Lance MTS. The turret's appearance may also
alter. It will be noted that the Lance turrets applied to the Piranha Evo (above) and to
Rheinmetall's updated/uparmoured Marder, the IFV/CCV, look very different.
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