On Friday, January 16, 2026, Spain’s Ministry of Defence announced that a ceremony had taken place at the Álvarez de Sotomayor base in Viator (near Almería), in Almería Province, within the Autonomous Community of Andalusia (southern Spain), marking the handover to the local Army (Ejército de Tierra) of the first *serially produced batch of 40 VCR Dragón 8×8 wheeled infantry fighting vehicles and specialist variants based on the Piranha 5 platform.
Photos: Spanish Ministry of Defence
The event, attended by Spain’s Minister of Defence Margarita Robles, representatives of the General Staff—including the Chief of Staff, Gen. Amador Enseñat—and the Army, took place at the barracks of the King Alfonso XIII Legion Brigade II (Brigada «Rey Alfonso XIII» II de La Legión; BRILEG II), the first unit to operate the new vehicles. The vehicles handed over included VCI infantry fighting vehicles, VTT armored personnel carriers, and VCZ engineering support vehicles.
Before serial deliveries began, a training program was carried out for drivers, commanders, gunners, and instructors, as well as for personnel responsible for in-service support. Simulators and trainers for the VCI variant’s turret system were also delivered. Likewise, it was necessary to expand initial logistic support, modernize facilities at the Álvarez de Sotomayor base, and procure the materials required to implement the mobile phase of technical support.
Serial deliveries were preceded by five prototypes intended for technological testing, around ten vehicles for acceptance trials, and 11 VCZ vehicles for specialist testing.
It should be recalled that a 10-year production contract worth 1.74 billion EUR was signed on August 25, 2020, covering 348 VCR Dragón 8×8 vehicles. The contractor is the Tess-Defense consortium, comprising the joint-venture company General Dynamics European Land Systems–Santa Bárbara Sistemas (GDELS-SBS), with Indra Sistemas SA, Sapa Placencia SL, and Ecribano Mechanical & Engineering S.L. as subcontractors (VCR Dragón production contract).
Serial vehicles are being manufactured at GDELS plants in Trubia (Asturias Province) and Seville (Andalusia), with Spanish industrial participation accounting for no less than 70%. Subcontracting is also carried out at facilities of various companies in Madrid, Gipuzkoa, and the Basque Country.
Despite the enthusiastic tone of yesterday’s ceremony, deliveries themselves have been delayed for technical reasons (by the end of 2024 the consortium was supposed to have delivered 92 serial vehicles), which has driven up costs (by 420 million EUR, plus 9 million EUR in contractual penalties) and resulted in outcomes not fully consistent with the original contract. Specifically, the Guardian 30 unmanned turrets for the VCI variant (a total of 219 units ordered) ultimately did not receive Rafael Spike LR2 anti-tank guided missiles for the already integrated launchers on the first batch (40 vehicles). In September 2025, the Madrid government terminated the contract as part of a broader embargo on Israeli weaponry due to the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu in the Gaza Strip; the original deal covered 168 launchers and 1,680 missiles. Integration with the French MBDA Akeron MP ATGM is now being considered.
Plans call for the acquisition of additional vehicles: 365 in Phase II and 285 in Phase III, for a total of 998 vehicles. These will replace M113 tracked armored personnel carriers (along with some specialist variants), Pegaso BMR-M1 wheeled APCs (648 vehicles), and Pegaso VEC-M1 wheeled reconnaissance vehicles.
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