General Dynamics [GD] Land Systems-Canada  yesterday said it will offer the PIRANHA 5 vehicle fitted with Rheinmetall’s LANCE 30mm Modular Turret System for Canada’s Close Combat Vehicle (CCV) Program. 

The goal of the CCV project is to deliver a well-protected armored vehicle with very high tactical mobility, able to deliver an infantry section in close combat, while operating in intimate support of main battle tanks.

The National Defence and Canadian Forces website for the project said the military experience in Afghanistan operations as well as those in Iraq, Lebanon and other areas demonstrates a requirement for a new highly survivable medium-weight, 25-45 tons armored CCV. The threats of mines, IEDs, Explosively Formed Projectiles, and anti-armor weapons have proliferated and are likely to be faced in most medium to high-threat missions. A more robust vehicle with both passive and active protection appropriate to the mission will likely be required frequently in the future.

The acquisition is expected to be for 108 vehicles, including two variants, with an option for as many as 30 additional vehicles, and a contract for long term or through life service support

In response, General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada is leading an all-Canadian team that leverages the best of the Canadian defense industry to deliver and support a vehicle that will meet those stringent requirements.

The PIRANHA 5 CCV is the latest evolution of the PIRANHA family of wheeled combat vehicles, incorporating the newest lethality, mobility, protection and communications technologies. It provides the best of both worlds, combining track-like performance with the strategic mobility of a wheeled platform. Advanced suspension technology allows the PIRANHA 5 CCV to go anywhere a medium-weight tracked vehicle can go with significantly lower fuel, maintenance and lifecycle costs.

Danny Deep, vice president of General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, stated, “With the PIRANHA 5 CCV, Canadian soldiers will control the battlefield and fight, maneuver and communicate with agility and precise lethality. And they will do it in a vehicle that achieves the deployability and lifecycle cost benefits enjoyed by the rest of Canada’s wheeled combat vehicle fleet.”

Deep added, “With 35 years of experience in delivering and supporting vehicles that meet or exceed the requirements of the Canadian Army, General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada is committed to delivering to the Canadian soldier the best tools for the job and the best protection that we can give them.”

The Canadian team will have General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada as prime contractor that will manufacture and assemble the PIRANHA 5 chassis at its facility in London, Ontario. 

Rheinmetall’s LANCE 30mm turret technology will be transferred to its Rheinmetall Canada facility in Saint-Jean-sur Richelieu, Quebec, for full turret production.

Armatec Survivability Canada of Dorchester, Ontario, will augment the PIRANHA 5’s inherent protection with a survivability suite of advanced composite materials and the latest technology in energy-absorbing troop and crew seating, all designed and tested to meet rigorous blast, IED and kinetic-energy threats. 

The remainder of the team will be drawn from a supplier base of over 400 Canadian companies.