Danish Piranha APCs, Caesar ARTs to be fitted with Leonardo Vehicle Camera Systems

Leonardo will equip over 300 Royal Danish Army vehicles, including Piranha V 8x8 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and Caesar 8x8 ART (Artillery) platforms, with integrated vehicle camera systems.

A contract, valued at more than £10 million, was signed at DSEI 2023 with the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO). This technology will enhance driver vision and situational awareness for the crews, enabling them to operate more effectively in hostile environments.

The order was initially placed in December 2022 under the framework agreement established in 2016 between Leonardo and DALO. The agreement aims to provide modular vehicle mission systems for the Royal Danish Army's land vehicle fleet, with each system tailored to the specific vehicle type and role. The new contract covers 309 Piranha V vehicles, including infantry, engineer, repair, mortar, command post, and ambulance variants, as well as the Caesar 8x8 ART platform and additional fleet spares. Deliveries have already begun.

Leonardo's vehicle camera system employs a cross-platform modular design, incorporating high-resolution infrared (IR) driver's night vision (thermal/low light) cameras, daylight cameras, user displays, IR illuminators, and other platform video sources. The system complies with the UK-led Generic Vehicle Architecture (GVA) standard, which allows the utilization of external inputs, such as video sources, from other sensors around the vehicle(s).

The integrated vehicle camera systems on the Piranha and HMEE (High Mobility Engineer Excavator) include the latest version of Leonardo's DNVS (Driver's Night Vision System). This ensures that vehicle crews can operate at night and in low-visibility weather conditions while remaining fully protected against external threats.