Armored Vehicles

MOWAG Piranha

The MOWAG Piranha is a Swiss family of wheeled armored vehicles built in 6x6, 8x8, and 10x10 forms for troop transport, reconnaissance, command, fire-support, and other roles. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, reporting identifies Piranha I 6x6 vehicles originally supplied to Nigeria that were captured from Nigerian Army stocks and associated with Boko Haram or ISWAP use.

Boko Haram InsurgencyBoko Haram and ISWAP

Conflict side: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Built by: MOWAGGeneral Dynamics
Built in: Switzerland

MOWAG Piranha, Wheeled armored personnel carrier family, Armored Vehicles

Image source: Kdo Pz 6x6 Piranha

Profile

Type: Wheeled armored personnel carrier family
Conflict side: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Origin: Switzerland
Service note: Introduced in the 1970s; multiple generations remain in service

APC wheeled protected mobility

Service History

In service: Piranha I and later generations entered service from the 1970s onward; Nigerian Piranha I vehicles were delivered in the 1980s.
Used by: Nigerian Army, Boko Haram and ISWAP (captured examples)
Wars: Boko Haram Insurgency

Production History

Designer: MOWAG Motorwagenfabrik AG
Designed: Early 1970s; first prototype presented in 1972
Built by: MOWAGGeneral Dynamics
Built in: Switzerland
Unit cost: Varies by generation and mission fit
Produced: 1970s-present
Number built: More than 12,000 Piranha-family vehicles and derivatives reported by GDELS
Variants: Piranha I 6x6, Piranha I 8x8, Piranha II, Piranha III, Piranha V

Specifications

Configuration: 6x6, 8x8, and 10x10 wheeled variants depending on generation
Crew and passengers: Piranha-family APC fits vary; early 6x6 examples commonly use a two- or three-person crew with infantry passenger seating.
Armament: Operator-dependent, including 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine guns, grenade launchers, autocannon turrets, or anti-tank missile fits on some variants.
Mobility: Road speed around 100 km/h for many variants; optional amphibious capability on selected configurations.
Protection: Armored hull against small arms and fragments, with modular/add-on protection on later generations.
Piranha III 8x8 reference weight: About 18.5 tonnes combat weight with 6,000 kg payload in Deagel's Piranha III data.

Conflict Usage

Boko Haram Insurgency: Side: Boko Haram and ISWAPRole: Captured armored mobilityprotected mobility
ISWAP fighters captured a Nigerian Army MOWAG Piranha I 6x6 after the December 2018 Baga-area base raid; Swiss reporting also noted earlier Boko Haram use of a Piranha in attacks in Nigeria.

MOWAG Piranha Images

MOWAG Piranha, Wheeled armored personnel carrier family, Armored Vehicles - view 1 — Source: Kdo Pz 6x6 Piranha

MOWAG Piranha, Wheeled armored personnel carrier family, Armored Vehicles - view 2 — Source: San Piranha

MOWAG Piranha, Wheeled armored personnel carrier family, Armored Vehicles - view 3 — Source: MOWAG Piranha of the Armata Romana

MOWAG Piranha, Wheeled armored personnel carrier family, Armored Vehicles - view 4 — Source: Irish Army Mowag Piranha

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Sources

PIRANHA Wheeled Armored VehiclePublisher: General Dynamics European Land Systems | Note: Supports manufacturer background, current Piranha family roles, modular 6x6/8x8/10x10 configurations, mobility, protection, and production-scale context. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 GDELS HeritagePublisher: General Dynamics European Land Systems | Note: Supports Piranha development history, including the 1972 first prototype, first-generation 4x4/6x6/8x8 family, and 100 km/h mobility claim. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 MOWAG Piranha 8x8 Wheeled Armored Fighting VehiclePublisher: Military Factory | Note: Supports general Piranha-family specifications, early Piranha I/AVGP dimensions and powertrain context, common armament fits, protection, amphibious design, and later-generation comparisons. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Piranha IIIPublisher: Deagel | Note: Supports reference specifications for Piranha III 6x6, 8x8, and 10x10 variants, including crew, troop capacity, weight, payload, speed, and range figures. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Terroristen erbeuten in Nigeria Schweizer PanzerPublisher: Blick | Note: Supports Boko Haram Insurgency direct use: used by Boko Haram in attacks in Nigeria and captured by ISWAP from the Nigerian Army near Baga as a likely MOWAG Piranha I 6x6. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Boko-Haram-Terroristen erbeuten Panzer des Thurgauer Ruestungsunternehmens MowagPublisher: St. Galler Tagblatt | Note: Supports Boko Haram Insurgency direct use: used by Boko Haram in earlier Nigerian attacks and captured by Boko Haram/ISWAP from the Nigerian Army as a probable MOWAG Piranha I. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Kdo Pz 6x6 PiranhaPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a Swiss MOWAG Piranha 6x6 infantry vehicle photograph by Kecko, hosted on Wikimedia Commons. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 San PiranhaPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and public-domain licensing for a Swiss Army MOWAG Piranha 6x6 medical armored personnel carrier. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 MOWAG Piranha of the Armata RomanaPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and CC BY-SA 2.0 licensing for a Romanian MOWAG Piranha photographed during a parade in Bucharest. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Irish Army Mowag PiranhaPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and public-domain licensing for an Irish Army MOWAG Piranha photographed during a Dublin military parade. | Accessed: 2026-06-21