Patria, a defense company majority-owned by Finland, has announced that it signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Procurement Agency (FMV) for FMV to purchase 20 Patria 6×6 armoured vehicles.
The company says the first deliveries of the vehicles, which in Sweden will be called “Pansarterrängbil 300”, will take place within 2023.
Patria 6×6 vehicle was chosen as the platform for a unique Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) collaboration program between several European countries, participated already by Finland, Latvia, Sweden and Germany. The deliveries to Latvia have been ongoing since end of 2021 and Finland received its pre-series vehicles in the summer of 2022. Sweden joined the 6×6 research and development program in 2022 and the deliveries this year will be the first steps to meet the Swedish demand for several hundred vehicles throughout the 2020s.
The Patria 6×6 vehicle set for delivery is the troop transportation model, which offers the latest vehicle technology such as state-of-the-art protection for up to 12 crew members. While Patria 6×6 is primarily designed for troop transportation, the vehicle is modular and can be configured for a wide range of different purposes, including command & control and ambulance duties.
“The Swedish Armed Forces have operated Patria’s XA 6×6 and AMV 8×8 vehicles for over three decades in many harsh environments around the world and this new contract for our latest Patria 6×6 vehicle proves that the vehicles live up to our promises,” notes Mats Warstedt, head of Market Area Nordics at Patria. “Patria 6×6 vehicle is also a very good example of Finnish-Swedish cooperation, where a significant value is provided by Swedish suppliers such as the engine and the steel of its armor.”