The Finnish Ministry of Defense (Puolustusministerio) has authorized the Defense Forces (Puolustusvoimat) to purchase 25 Sisu GTP 4×4 armoured personnel carrier (APC) from Oy Sisu Auto Ab. The acquired vehicles will be used by the Finnish Army (Maavoimat). The total value of the acquisition is approximately EUR 19.1 million. The first version was produced in 2019. In June 2020 the Finnish Defense Forces ordered 6 vehicles for testing. The delivery belongs to the acquisition of the SISU GTP 4×4 test series published by the Finnish Army in summer 2020, the purpose of which is to collect information on vehicle capability and operability for the future needs of the Defense Forces’ mobility both in Finland and in crisis management tasks.
The Sisu GTP is a Finnish made four-wheeled, modular mine-resistant ambush protected armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed for the Finnish Defence Forces as a possible replacement or complement for its XA-180-series vehicles. The first delivery includes two different armored vehicle configurations, a five-seater general purpose vehicle and a ten-seater armored personnel carrier vehicle. Thanks to this truly modular design, the delivery of vehicles in task-specific configurations is quick and economical. With the vehicles now delivered, the Army will implement a testing program, after which the other four vehicles of the test series, together with operation and field maintenance instructions and spare parts kits shall be delivered later this year.
The vehicles have congruent backbones, and the crew body structures are interchangeable.The crew body offers Stanag 4569 Level 1 ballistic and mine blast protection and can be integrated with add-on protection kits for improved protection. The add-on armour kits ensure protection against rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and explosively formed projectiles (EFPs). The vehicle can be optionally equipped with a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) protection system. The vehicle comes configured with a single hatch on the roof, which is equipped with a circular ring mount. The ring can be mounted with a 7.62mm/12.7mm calibre machine gun. The SISU GTP 4×4 general-purpose variant can be installed with a remotely controlled weapon station.
The GTP 4×4 armoured personnel carriers can be shipped by land, air, and sea. The armoured vehicle is powered by a Mercedes-Benz OM926 six-cylinder, four-stroke diesel engine, which offers a maximum power-to-weight output of 22hp/t. Auxiliary power requirements of the vehicle are served by a 24V electrical system. The engine is coupled to a six-speed Allison automatic transmission system. The vehicle can be fitted with 365/85 R20 or 395/85 R20 wheels equipped with pneumatic disc-brakes and anti-lock braking system (ABS). It also has an optional feature of a central tire inflation system (CTIS). The SISU GTP 4×4 offers a maximum speed of more than 100km/h and can attain a maximum range of 700km. It has the capability to ford water bodies with a depth of 0.85m and has an approach angle of 45°. The stability tilt and climbing gradient of the vehicle is 37° and 60%, respectively.
