WEAPONS TRANSFERRED TO THE SAUDI-LED COALITION AND EMPLOYED IN THE CONFLICT IN YEMEN (2015-ongoing)
LAV-25 Piranha
| WEAPON NAME | LAV-25 Piranha (Light Armored Vehicle Amphibious) |
|---|
The LAV-25 is an eight-wheeled amphibious armored reconnaissance vehicle built by General Dynamics Land Systems. The Piranha family of light armoured vehicles are available in 4x4, 6x6, 8x8 and 10x10 configurations. Standard LAV are fitted with a turret with 360° traverse, armed with an M242 25 mm chain gun with 420 rounds of 25 mm ammunition, both M791 APDS-T (Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot-Tracer) and M792 HEI-T (High Explosive Incendiary-Tracer). → gdls.com.com/LAV-II
| COMPONENTS |
|---|
90mm MK8 Ammunition (BE)
The Belgian company Mecar has developed a family of 90mm ammunition for the CMI MK8 weapon system; it produces the ammunition for the the CMI 90mm turret of the LAV-25 Piranha manufactured in Canada. Mecar is the only producer of this type of ammunition and has only one factory, in Seneffe. The company is now a wholly owned subsidiary of NEXTER Systems S.A., a French Defense Systems company, following the acquisition in May 2014.
→ mecar.be
LCTS 90mm Tank Turret (BE)
The Cockerill LCTS 90MP is a light two-person crew turret equipped with a 90mm gun and an advanced autoloader. Between 2011 and 2014 Saudi-Arabia has received 84 Canadian LAV-25 Piranha’s. The turrets of these armored vehicles were made by the Belgian company CMI Defence, which is based in the city of Ans.
→ johncockerill.com/cockerill-lcts-90mp
| MANUFACTURER |
|---|
LAV-25 Piranha: General Dynamics Land System, London, Ontario, CANADA → gdlscanada.com
90mm MK8 Ammunition: MECAR, Seneffe, BELGIUM → mecar.be
LCTS 90mm Tank Turret: CMI Defence now John Cockerill Defense, Ans, BELGIUM → johncockerill.com
| ARMS EXPORT |
|---|
In 2014, a contract was signed between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Canadian Commercial Corporation for the sale of light armoured vehicles manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada. This contract is governed exclusively by Saudi law and subject to the Saudi judicial system. The LAV 700 armored vehicle with an 8x8 wheel arrangement is the latest development of the General Dynamics armored vehicles of the LAV (Piranha) family, including the LAV III and LAV 6.0. The LAV deal was the second of its kind signed between General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada and Saudi Arabia, with an estimated 1,400 LAVs going to Saudi Arabia over the previous two decades.
(globalsecurity.org, Feb. 2017)
Arms Sales → June 13th, 2011
Transfer of LAV-25 Piranha from Canada to Saudi Arabia
| NAME | TYPE | ORDER | # | DELIVERY | # | COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lav-25 Piranha | APC | 2009 | 724 | 2011-2015 | 724 | $2.2 b deal (part of $5.8 b deal); sold via USA; incl LAV-25 IFV, LAV-AG FSV, LAVAT anti-tank, 120mm mortar caririer, ARV, command post and ambulance versions; for National Guard |
| Lav-25 Piranha | APC | 2011 | 155 | 2015 | 155 | $264 m deal; incl 82 for National Guard; incl. 17 APC, 28 anti-tank, 29 command post, 5 ARV, 3 ALV, 1 AEW, 6 mortar carrier and 6 ambulance version |
Transfer of LAV-25 components from Belgium to Canada
| NAME | TYPE | ORDER | # | DELIVERY | # | COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LCTS 90mm | Tank Turret | 2009 | 84 | 2011-2014 | 84 | For 84 Piranha (LAV-90 or LAV-AG) AFSV from Canada |
| Cockerill-3105 105mm | Tank Turret | 2014 | 119 | 2019 | 25 | Part of €3.2 b deal; for 119 LAV-700 FSV AFSV from Canada |
| MAINTENANCE |
|---|
Canada and Saudi Arabia reached in an agreement in February 2014 under which Saudi Arabia would purchase C$15 billion worth of military equipment from Canada. According to the CBC, this deal included 928 light armoured vehicles, specifically, a model known as LAV-6. Among these LAV-6s, 119 were categorized as heavy assault. Also included under this deal is a 14-year provision of technical assistance. This deal solidified Saudi Arabia as the second-largest export destination for Canadian arms after the US. (cbc.ca, Mar. 19, 2018)
| IDENTIFICATION | Houthis fire to Saudis vehicles (Jun. 5, 2019) |
|---|
LAV-25 Piranha at min. 2:00
https://twitter.com/mansourtalk/status/1136397012172201984#Houthis seized #Canadian-made LAV-25 amphibious armored reconnaissance vehicle in #Najran #Yemen #YemenWar pic.twitter.com/m2PwIzFHoF
— Mohamed Mansour 🇪🇬 (@Mansourtalk) June 5, 2019
| GEOLOCATION | Najran, southern province of Saudi Arabia → 17°23’00.0”N - 44°06’00.0”E |
|---|
Satellite Image, Apple Maps
Wikimapia
(Investigation Non-Verified)
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