Swiss army buys DONAR wheeled cannon

Switzerland has signed its largest artillery procurement contract in decades, ordering 32 wheeled self-propelled howitzers from European defense group KNDS in a deal that brings one of the most technically advanced artillery systems in the world to a country that has historically kept its military investments modest and its strategic posture firmly neutral.

The Swiss procurement authority armasuisse and KNDS signed a comprehensive contract on June 8, 2026, for 32 AGM artillery systems on the Piranha IV platform, marketed by KNDS as DONAR 10×10. KNDS will serve as prime contractor, with GDELS-Mowag responsible as subcontractor for the Piranha IV carrier vehicle. Deliveries to the Swiss Armed Forces are scheduled to begin in 2031. The contract also covers 32 newly developed ammunition loading containers, training equipment, and comprehensive logistical support.

The AGM, or Artillery Gun Module, is a 155 mm unmanned, remotely controlled artillery gun module with an automated loading system, designed to fire the full range of NATO-standard artillery ammunition including standard projectiles, rocket-assisted rounds, and precision-guided shells. KNDS says the AGM architecture supports firing and reloading in any elevation and azimuth position, including while on the move, a capability the company describes as unique among howitzer systems worldwide. That fire-on-the-move concept eliminates the stopping, leveling, and setup time that conventional self-propelled howitzers require before they can engage a target. On a modern battlefield where counterbattery radar can detect an artillery position within seconds of a first shot and direct a precision strike onto it within minutes, the ability to fire and immediately drive away without any setup delay is a significant survivability advantage.

The DONAR 10×10 system also incorporates shoot-and-scoot capability, the ability to fire and immediately relocate before the enemy can respond, and Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact, known as MRSI. MRSI allows a single howitzer to fire multiple rounds at different trajectories and charges so that all of them arrive at the target simultaneously, creating the shock effect of a volley from multiple guns with a single system. The DONAR can also engage both indirect targets through standard fire control and direct targets in line of sight, including moving land and sea targets.

The crew requirement of two soldiers for full operation is notably low for a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer. Switzerland’s current self-propelled howitzers are upgraded M109 variants, which the AGM on Piranha IV is intended to replace. Germany’s PzH 2000 typically has a crew of five, while the AGM on Piranha IV is designed for two crew members, with space for a third. The vehicle also provides space for an optional third crew member or additional storage, giving operators flexibility depending on mission requirements.

The Piranha IV platform that carries the AGM is not new to Switzerland. The Piranha family, developed and manufactured at the Swiss GDELS-Mowag facility in Kreuzlingen, has been the foundation of the Swiss Army’s wheeled armored vehicle fleet for decades, with variants serving as infantry carriers, command vehicles, and specialized platforms across multiple Swiss and international programs. Building the DONAR on the Piranha IV gives the Swiss Army a familiar maintenance and support infrastructure for the carrier vehicle, reducing logistics complexity and leveraging existing training and spare parts pipelines.

KNDS already offers the AGM on the Boxer 8×8 wheeled platform as the RCH 155. KNDS has contracts or orders for RCH 155 with Germany, the United Kingdom, Qatar, and Ukraine, while the operational status differs by customer. Ukraine’s receipt of RCH 155 systems has increased international attention to the AGM and RCH 155 family, but Switzerland selected the AGM on Piranha IV after its own evaluation process.

“With this contract, KNDS is implementing the largest artillery procurement in Switzerland in decades,” said Florian Hohenwarter, CEO of KNDS Deutschland. “We are grateful not only for this significant procurement order itself, but also for the decades-long partnership and the fundamental trust placed in us by the Swiss user community and armasuisse. KNDS will deliver more than just wheeled howitzers. As a systems provider, we offer a comprehensive mission solution tailored to customer requirements, from system training and maintenance, to logistical support, and even ammunition storage.”

Switzerland’s procurement decisions carry particular geopolitical significance given the country’s constitutionally enshrined neutrality. Swiss neutrality has historically constrained its military posture and its defense industrial partnerships, but the country has been quietly modernizing its armed forces in the years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine reshaped European security assumptions. The DONAR contract is Switzerland’s largest artillery investment in decades and reflects a decision to equip its ground forces with a system that is not simply adequate but genuinely among the most capable wheeled howitzers available anywhere in the world.