Moldova Receives The First 3 Piranha IIIH 8×8 Armored Personnel Carriers From Germany
At a ceremony held at the military camp No. 142 in Chisinau, the Moldovan Armed Forces received the first batch of three Piranha IIIH 8×8 Armored Personnel Carriers (APC) donated by the Federal Republic of Germany. The ceremony was attended by Moldovan Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatîi, Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Nicu Popescu, and Ullrich Kinne, Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Moldova.
On the occasion of the ceremony, Moldovan Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatîi stated that the delivery in question is an example of effective cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and the Federal Republic of Germany in the context of modernizing and strengthening the Moldovan Armed Forces. Minister Nosatîi also expressed gratitude to Germany for the armored vehicles, stating that these vehicles would replace the old Soviet equipment and be assigned to the 22nd Peacekeeping Battalion.
Ullrich Kinne, Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Moldova, stated, “with the delivery of armored vehicles, Germany and Moldova’s cooperation has reached a new level of quality. This delivery, which is part of the National Army Modernization Initiative supported by the German Federal Government, will strengthen the Republic of Moldova’s defense capacity and ability to participate in international peacekeeping missions. This participation is highly regarded internationally.”
According to the Moldovan Ministry of Defense, the delivery was made in accordance with a bilateral agreement signed by then-German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and her counterpart, Anatolie Nosatî, during her October 2021 visit to Chisinau. The agreement calls for Germany to provide the Moldovan Armed Forces with 19 used Piranha armored personnel carriers (APCs) free of charge. the remaining 16 Piranha vehicles and related equipment are expected to be delivered this year.
The PIRANHA III is an 8×8 armored wheeled vehicle developed by the Swiss company Mowag Motorwagenfabriken, which is now part of General Dynamics European Land Combat Systems (ELCS). Equipped with a composite armor kit, the vehicle is 6.96 m long, 2.85 m wide and weighs 18.5 tons. Depending on the user’s needs, the vehicle can be equipped with 7.62mm, 12.7mm machine guns or 40mm automatic grenade launchers. The vehicle can carry 9 troops and is operated by a three-man crew that includes a commander, gunner, and driver. The vehicle has a top speed of 105 kilometers per hour and a range of up to 600 kilometers.