GDELS Scales up Armored Vehicle Production in Germany
General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) has announced a major expansion of its armored vehicle production and support infrastructure in Germany, aiming to manufacture up to 500 Piranha wheeled armored vehicles and 500 Eagle V protected vehicles per year for the German Armed Forces.
The announcement was made by Thomas Kauffmann, Vice President of GDELS and Managing Director of GDELS Deutschland, during his address at RüNET 2025, a defense industry event held in Koblenz. The production ramp-up is part of the company’s new “Strategy 24-500”, which outlines an accelerated delivery framework and expanded national footprint.
According to Kauffmann, the “24-500” concept means that GDELS will be able to deliver the first series production vehicle within 24 months of contract signature, followed by an annual production capacity of up to 500 vehicles. The initiative reflects growing demand from the Bundeswehr as it moves to modernize its ground forces and expand tactical mobility.
To support the strategy, GDELS has launched a new subsidiary, GDELS-Fahrzeugwerke GmbH, and will establish two new production sites in southern Germany. One will be located near Munich, while the second is planned for southern Baden-Württemberg. Both locations will focus on manufacturing the Piranha family of wheeled armored vehicles—a platform that shares design lineage with the U.S. Army’s Stryker—as well as the Eagle V, a high-mobility protected vehicle already in service with the Bundeswehr.
In addition to expanding production, GDELS is creating a dedicated support facility in Neubrandenburg. The new “System Support Center Piranha” will handle lifecycle maintenance and system integration for the Piranha fleet, including vehicles ordered as part of the Tactical Wide Area Network for Land Based Operations (TaWAN LBO) program. Groundbreaking for the site is expected to take place later this month.
Kauffmann emphasized that the 24-500 strategy is not just about speed of delivery but also about national industrial resilience.
Beyond vehicles, GDELS is also doubling its bridge system production capacity. The company has expanded operations at its Kaiserslautern site, where it is taking over existing industrial infrastructure to increase output of the Amphibie M3 floating bridge and ferry system. Additional facilities have been acquired in nearby Sembach, which will be used to enhance maintenance capabilities across the full GDELS product portfolio.
GDELS already operates more than a dozen facilities across Europe and produces over 1,000 powertrains annually for the Piranha family. With the addition of the new sites in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and Rhineland-Palatinate, the company is positioning itself as a central supplier of armored platforms and bridging systems for Germany and its NATO partners.