On January 12, 2023, a ceremony was held in Chisinau for the transfer of the first three Piranha IIIH (8x8) wheeled armored personnel carriers to the armed forces of Moldova, transferred by Germany as military assistance to the European Union on the basis of a bilateral agreement signed in October 2021. The armored personnel carriers themselves come from the presence of the Danish ground forces and are undergoing major repairs and training for transfer in Germany. A total of 19 former Danish Piranha IIIH armored personnel carriers are to be transferred to Moldova by the end of 2023 under this agreement.
The first three wheeled armored personnel carriers MOWAG Piranha IIIH, previously owned by the Danish army, were transferred to the armed forces of Moldova by Germany as part of the military assistance of the European Union. Chisinau, 12.01.2023 (c) Ministry of Defense of MoldovaThe total cost of the program, funded from EU funds under the 2021 agreement, is more than 40 million euros.
In addition to 19 former Danish Piranha IIIH armored personnel carriers, Moldova should also receive small arms, communications equipment and small unmanned aerial vehicles under this program. In the Moldovan army, Piranha IIIH armored personnel carriers will enter service with the 22nd Blue Helmets Peacekeeping battalion stationed in Chisinau (Batalionului 22 al Forţelor de Menţinere a Păcii "Căști albastre").
Denmark, under a 1997 contract, acquired 22 Piranha IIIN vehicles (18 in the version of a linear armored personnel carrier, two command and staff vehicles and two BRAM) manufactured by the Swiss company MOWAG (since 2003 as part of General Dynamics Corporation as General Dynamics European Land Systems - Mowag GmbH), becoming their first customer. The first two Piranha IIIH were manufactured by MOWAG itself and delivered in 1999, and the remaining 20 were assembled in 2000 by the Danish company Falck-Schmidt in Odense. The Danish version of the Piranha IIIH was equipped with a German MTU 6V182 TE22 diesel engine, a German ZF 7HP600 automatic transmission and an independent hydropneumatic suspension, the armament is represented by a 12.7 mm Krauss-Maffei-Wegmann 1530 machine gun with day and night sights (judging by the photos, it is preserved on cars transferred to Moldova). Most of the service of the Danish Piranha IIIH took place as part of the Danish contingent of the peacekeeping forces in Kosovo. A few years ago, all Danish Piranha IIIH were transferred to storage, and now the 19 remaining units have been transferred to Moldova through Germany.
From 2002 to 2006, the Danish army also received 115 Piranha IIIC modification vehicles in five variants. The main difference between the Piranha IIIC is the use of an American Caterpillar C9 diesel engine and a spring suspension. Since 2019, the Danish army has begun the process of replacing the Piranha III with new Piranha V armored personnel carriers . In the spring of 2022, the Danish government intended to transfer 25 Piranha III armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, but the Swiss authorities did not issue a permit for the transfer of this Swiss-made equipment "to the zone of armed conflict."
The first three wheeled armored personnel carriers MOWAG Piranha IIIH, previously owned by the Danish army, were transferred to the armed forces of Moldova by Germany as part of the military assistance of the European Union. Chisinau, 12.01.2023 (c) Ministry of Defense of MoldovaVideo: