GDELS to supply Piranha 5 vehicles for German Army’s TaWAN project

General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) has been selected by the German Army for its procurement of a vehicle-based long-range telecommunications network as part of the Bundeswehr’s Tactical Wide Area Network (TaWAN) modernisation effort, the company announced on 20 February 2025.

GDELS will supply up to 256 Piranha 5 8×8 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) under a contract with value in the three-digit million range for the initial batch of 58 vehicles. The first series vehicles will be delivered in 2026.

GDELS is working on the project with Germany’s Rheinmetall, which is the overall prime contractor for the TaWAN programme.

The Piranha 5s for the programme will be equipped with a 15 m telescopic mast system, which will serve as a highly mobile, armoured connectivity point in the TaWAN network. The Piranha 3 KOMPAK, a similar long-range communication vehicle variant, has been in successful operation by the Swiss Army for many years.

To ensure immediate technical and logistic sustainment and operative readiness for the programme, GDELS will set up a system support centre in Neubrandenburg.

“We are very grateful and proud about the trust the Bundeswehr and our industrial partner has bestowed upon GDELS,” Dr Thomas Kauffmann, GDELS vice president and managing director of GDELS–Deutschland, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “We will deliver the first Piranha 5 series vehicles next year and establish manufacturing and sustainment capabilities in Germany.”

“The undertaken effort is demonstrating GDELS’ strong commitment as a reliable partner for the Bundeswehr and Germany,” added Antonio Bueno, president of GDELS. “We look forward to this opportunity and to reinforcing our dedication to this important home market.”