4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY BASE MODEL · 1972
BASE MODELSwitzerland

Piranha (1972–)

Mowag’s armoured vehicle family, in production since 1972 in 4×4, 6×6, 8×8 and 10×10 forms across five generations. More than 12,000 have been built including the licensed LAV and Stryker families. 275 hp diesel, 100 km/h on the road and 10 km/h in the water, 780 km of range, typically three crew and eight troops.

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Sources & evidence
Piranha (1972–) — Infantry fighting vehicle 93 ready for driving school. MWD Chur, Switzerland, Feb 20, 2014.Kecko · CC BY 2.0 ↗
MODEL LINEPiranhaBUILT BYMowag, KreuzlingenPRODUCED1972PRODUCTIONMore than 12,000 including the LAV and Stryker familiesLAYOUT8 wheels

The record

The first prototype was the Piranha IB 6×6 of 1972. Licence production followed in Canada, the United Kingdom, Chile and the United States, and the derivatives outnumber the Swiss-built vehicles many times over: the Canadian LAV and Bison, the Australian ASLAV and the American Stryker all descend from it. Denmark has 309 Piranha V, Romania 227 or more and Spain 348 or more on order.

Specification

MANUFACTURED1972–
ENGINEDiesel, 202 kW (275 hp)
PRODUCTION RUNMore than 12,000 including the LAV and Stryker families
COUNTRY OF ORIGINSwitzerland
STATUSin production
RECORD KINDBase model
MODEL LINEPiranha
FAMILYPiranha
WHEELS8
BODY STYLEArmoured
VARIANTS1

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Body styles & colours

Factory colours

  • NATO Olive

Codes on hover. Hex values are representative approximations of period paint unless a source states a measured value.

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Mowag Piranha ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-23SOURCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-23 · status: researched