The Finnish Defence Forces will purchase heavy Patria 6×6 armoured vehicles from Patria within the Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) programme. The Finnish Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen has authorised the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command to start a serial procurement of heavy armoured personnel carrier 6×6 vehicles from Patria. The first phase of the acquisition will include one pre-series vehicle and 20 Kongsberg’s remote weapon stations which will be integrated in the vehicles. The acquisition will also include an option for additional purchases of 18 vehicles as well as provisions for vehicle outfitting, maintenance, spare parts, and training.
“The heavy armoured vehicle variants deviate from Patria 6×6 basic vehicle variants with a higher protection rate and fire power which enables better cover for example in crisis management tasks. The heavy armoured Patria 6×6 vehicle with remote weapon systems is the end result of R&D teamwork of several countries”, says Jussi Järvinen, Executive Vice President of Patria’s Finland Division.
The Common Armoured Vehicle Systems (CAVS) based on Patria 6×6. The Patria 6×6 (Patria XA-300)[3] is a six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier produced by the Finnish defence industry company Patria. Patria 6×6 is primarily designed for troop transport but can be configured for other roles as well. The basic platform can be tailored to meet varying user requirements by many optional features e.g. swimming system, winch, upgraded armour protection and diverse weapon systems. Patria 6×6 chassis is based on Patria AMVXP structures and components. The expected service life of the vehicle is more than 30 years.
Under the international Common Armoured Vehicles System (CAVS) programme Patria will be the prime contractor.
CAVS programme, originally established by Finland and Latvia, and later joined by Sweden and Germany, is a joint programme of several European governments to create a state-of-the-art 6×6 armoured vehicle system. In addition to Finland, the programme currently includes Latvia, Sweden and Germany. The programme commenced in 2020, and around 700 Patria 6×6 vehicles has been ordered within the collaborative effort. The joint programme has raised interest also in other countries. The joint programme is open to countries sharing similar requirements.
