Belgium’s Piranha armoured vehicles should be fully operational again by summer after repairs to the crack found a few months, according to a press release from the Ministry of Defence on Monday.
The cracks were discovered in many of the vehicles’ chassis in October 2014. For personnel safety, the fleet was temporarily grounded.
In December, one-third of the vehicles were cleared for unrestricted use following inspections. The remaining vehicles have been used for training and education, but with operational limitations on certain terrains.
Manufacturer GDELS and the Defence Ministry conducted a technical study but could not determine a clear cause for the cracks.
"We performed a thorough technical inspection of the entire fleet, which has been in successful military service for over 15 years," stated Thomas Kauffman of GDELS in the press release.
Some vehicles showed damage that does not affect safety or performance but requires repairs. These repairs are underway and should soon be completed, enabling all vehicles to be redeployed.
The vehicles are expected to be fully operational by summer. The Defence Ministry assures that personnel safety and the protection the vehicles offer remain uncompromised. For ongoing operational guarantees, the army will use Dingo vehicles this year.
The Ministry of Defence has used the Piranha vehicles since 2008 across both its ground forces and medical unit. There are seven versions of the 127-strong fleet: Ambulance, Command Post, Direct Fire 30, Direct Fire 90, Fusilier, Engineer, and Recovery.
