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Ireland plans to procure about 100 armored vehicles to replace its aging fleets of military vehicles.
A decision is likely in the coming months with delivery expected from two years later, according to the Irish Mirror.
The over 400-million-euro ($418-million) procurement will replace the Irish Defense Forces fleets of Piranha III armored vehicles and RG-32 light tactical vehicles.
A total of 80 Piranhas and 27 RG-32s are in service with the Irish Armed Forces.
Need for Procurement
Manufactured by the Swiss firm Mowag, the Piranha has been in service with the military since 2002, and the RG-32, manufactured by BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa, since 2009.
Despite a recent 68-million-euro ($71-million) refit on the Piranha, Irish officials acknowledge the need for replacements.
The Commission on the Defence Forces also recommended the procurement in its 2022 report, which has been accepted by the government.
“The Commission believes that sufficient APCs are required to meet overseas requirements while also supporting the required level of home training for deploying high readiness standby and standing forces overseas, and for unit training or tactical exercises with armour for national Defence,” the report said.
“There is a significant deficiency in this regard at present.”
Likely Winner
Likely contenders for the replacement include the Mowag Eagle and Piranha V, KNDS’ Serval and VBCI, and Boxer by Rheinmetall and KNDS Deutschland.
According to a recent report by the Irish outlet The Journal, the proposal by KNDS is most likely to clinch the deal.
It includes three vehicles under the Scorpion project: the Griffon, the Jaguar, and the Serval.
The acquisition is part of a planned upgrade of the Irish military by 2028, including an increase in service members from 7,400 to 11,500.
Ireland spends only 0.2 percent of its GDP on defense, the lowest in the European Union.
However, the 2025 defense budget saw an annual increase of 8 percent and a record allocation of 1.35 billion euros ($1.5 billion), a rise of 100 million euros ($111 million).