Spanish Army receives 40 VCR Dragón 8x8 armored vehicles in first operational trials.

The Spanish Army received the first batch of 40 VCR Dragón 8x8 armored vehicles in January 2026 at Viator, Almería, starting the operational evaluation of the long-delayed program.

On January 16, 2026, the Spanish Army received its first operational batch of 40 VCR Dragón 8x8 armored vehicles at the Base Álvarez de Sotomayor in Viator, Almería, initiating unit-level field evaluation with Legion formations. At the time of delivery, a total of 107 vehicles had been manufactured or were in production out of 348 planned for the first phase of the program.
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Among the 40 Dragóns delivered, 18 VCRs were fitted with Guardian 30 turrets, and 22 VCZs were equipped with Mini Samson remote stations and dozer blades or mine-clearing attachments, with some infantry vehicles also configured to carry Spike missile launchers. (Picture source: Spanish MoD)

The delivery took place in the presence of the Minister of Defence Margarita Robles, the Secretary of State for Defence Amparo Valcarce, the Chief of Staff of the Army General Amador Enseñat, senior representatives of Indra and Tess Defence, and the Director General of Armament and Material, Admiral Aniceto Rosique. At the time of the delivery, 40 vehicles were already stationed in Almería, one additional vehicle was assigned to the Logistics Academy in Calatayud, 24 were undergoing qualification at Alcalá de Guadaíra, and 42 more were in different stages of production, bringing the total manufactured or in progress to 107 units out of the 348 planned for the first phase.

The VCR Dragón program started in 2007, when Spain launched a requirement for a new wheeled armored vehicle to replace several armored vehicles that had been in service since the 1970s and 1980s. The initial objective foresaw 300 vehicles in a first phase and up to 1,200 vehicles overall, taking over the roles performed by the BMR-M1 and VEC-M1, while later planning also incorporated the need to phase out RG-31 Nyala and parts of the M-113 fleet. Early competition phases evaluated a wide range of foreign vehicles, including the Boxer, the VBCI, the Freccia, the Patria AMV, and others, but the program was cancelled in 2010 due to budgetary constraints before being reactivated in 2013 with a revised approach centered on developing a vehicle with substantial national industrial participation based on the Piranha V, known in Spain as Piraña 5.

As the program evolved, schedules and contracts changed several times over more than a decade, leading to significant delays. Initial plans expected the first 40 vehicles by 2014 and the bulk of the first phase by 2016, targets that were not met, leading to new authorizations and timelines. In 2018, the government authorized the construction of 348 vehicles for the first phase, followed by the signing of a €1.74 billion contract in August 2020 with a seven-year delivery period, while outlining a second phase of 365 vehicles between 2026 and 2030 and a third phase of 285 vehicles between 2031 and 2035. Deliveries prior to 2026 consisted of 12 vehicles handed over in December 2022, including seven sapper variants and five demonstrators used for testing, after which deliveries slowed despite commitments for 94 vehicles in 2024 and 70 in 2025.

Financial figures associated with the program also include references to €2.1 billion authorized for acquisition between 2020 and 2025, a broader valuation of about €2.5 billion, a framework of €1.6 billion for acquisition and €3.8 billion including support, and unit cost estimates ranging from €4.59 million to as much as €7 million depending on configuration. In its current form, the VCR 8x8 Dragón is produced by the Tess Defence consortium, led by Indra and comprising Santa Bárbara Sistemas, Sapa Placencia, and Escribano Mechanical and Engineering, with each partner responsible for defined subsystems. Santa Bárbara provides the hull derived from the Piraña 5 and oversees vehicle integration at Trubia in Asturias, with early series assembly also linked to Alcalá de Guadaíra in Seville. Indra develops the mission system and the BMS-VCR battlefield management component, Sapa supplies the powertrain and onboard energy systems, and Escribano delivers the Guardian family of remote weapon stations.

The program set national industrial participation targets of up to 70 percent during development and production, while another cited a nationalization figure for the Dragón configuration of 64 percent. The Dragón family is structured to cover a wide range of tactical roles within a common 8x8 configuration. The first-phase framework includes 348 vehicles across five versions: 219 infantry combat vehicles (VCI, or VCR de Combate de Infantería) in four variants, 58 cavalry reconnaissance vehicles (VEC, VCR de Exploración de Caballería) in four variants, 49 sapper combat vehicles (VCZ, VCR de Combate de Zapadores) in two variants, 14 battalion or group command post vehicles (VC PC Bon/Gr, VCR Puesto de Mando de Batallón o Grupo), and eight forward artillery observer vehicles (VCOAV, VCR de Observador Avanzado de Artillería). Broader long-term planning references a total fleet of up to 998 vehicles when combining phases, including 58 VECs and 40 tank-destroyer variants equipped with Spike missiles.

For the January 2026 delivery, no official numerical breakdown was provided, but imagery associated with the handover indicates 18 infantry-type vehicles fitted with Guardian 30 turrets and 22 sapper vehicles equipped with Mini Samson remote stations and dozer blades or mine-clearing attachments, with some infantry vehicles also configured to carry Spike missile launchers. In terms of armament and onboard systems, the Dragón integrates a mix of Spanish and foreign components within a unified mission architecture. The VCR is equipped with the Guardian 30 turret mounting a 30 mm Mk44 cannon, adaptable to higher calibers, paired with a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun and multiple smoke grenade launchers, while the VCZ and VCOAV variants use the Guardian 2.0 or Mini Samson remote weapon stations armed with 12.7 mm machine guns.

The Dragón integrates electro-optical systems for the gunner and commander, supports Spike anti-tank missiles already in Spanish service, and incorporates radios, navigation, displays, and warning sensors sourced from companies such as Indra, GMV, Tecnobit, Elbit Systems, and others. Additional subsystems include laser warning receivers, shot detection sensors, and universal attachment interfaces that allow the fitting of engineering tools such as blades, rollers, and mine-clearing devices. The Dragón, with a weight of around 33 tonnes, has a maximum speed of 100 km/h and a range between 500 and 550 km, while dimensions are listed around 8 to 8.3 m in length, 2.9 to 2.99 m in width, and about 2.34 m in height. The standard crew is three personnel, with capacity for six to eight additional soldiers depending on configuration.

Power is provided by a Scania DC13 engine rated at 724 hp or 540 kW, coupled to Sapa’s SW624 24-speed transmission, supported by an auxiliary power unit and additional onboard electrical generation components. Protection measures include a steel hull with modular armor, anti-mine flooring, STANAG Level 5/6 protection with add-on kits, spall liners, ballistic seats, and armor packages against RPGs, mines, and IEDs, with provisions for a future active protection system. The vehicle is designed to negotiate 60 percent longitudinal slopes, 30 percent lateral slopes, vertical obstacles up to 800 mm, fording depths of 1.5 m, and trenches up to 2 m, and it is configured for transport by A400M aircraft, including heavier variants, while its entry into service is supported by the establishment of a mobile maintenance echelon to sustain early operational use.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.