Update: GDELS presents 10×10 Piranha Heavy Mission Carrier

Flatbed version of 10×10 Piranha HMC designed for example to carry large weapon system modules. (GDELS)

General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) presented its 10×10 Piranha Heavy Mission Carrier (HMC) in a press release on 15 April.

The new Piranha version has a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of up to 40 tonnes and can carry a 17 tonne payload. It features a 10×10 all-wheel-drive-power-driveline and a multi-link suspension system with 1st/2nd and 4th/5th axle steering, which according to GDELS enables minimum axle loads to comply with European road regulations, cross-country mobility, and trench crossing capabilities with a reduced turning radius of less than 18 m.

Thomas Kauffmann, GDELS vice-president for Global Sales and Services, said, “The Piranha HMC is a direct response to our worldwide customer base's evolving payload and space requirements for versatile and multi-purpose missions including direct and indirect fires, air defence, and tactical bridging capabilities.” A GDELS spokesperson added on 19 April, “The Piranha is a solution wherever heavy or spacious payloads are required. Variants could be fitted, for example, with artillery or heavy-calibre direct fire modules, air-defence systems, mobile bridges, command posts, ambulance cabins, or as a logistics vehicle for bulky cargo ... the HMC is especially interesting for [not only] the many current Piranha user nations, but also for those who wish to expand their vehicle fleets [with] such a system.” However, he declined to comment on the ongoing procurement programmes that the new variant may be competing in.

The spokesperson said that development of the new variant was self-funded by GDELS.

This article, originally published on 17 April 2024, has been updated with new information and imagery.

For more information on the Piranha, please seePiranha; Piranha 2; Piranha 3; Piranha 4; Piranha 5 .