The Finnish Defence Forces are redeeming a purchase agreement on a June 2023 contract with Patria for 6×6 armoured vehicles, adding another 40 units to an initial purchase of 91 vehicles.
Deliveries are currently underway, and Finland retains the option to purchase a further 30 vehicles in the future under the current terms of the deal.
The announcement came on 4 January, as the first tens of vehicles were delivered to Finland’s Pori brigade, in anticipation of the first vehicle training operation for new conscripts, at the beginning of 2024. The initial purchase of 91 vehicles was worth €208m ($224.6m), but the cost of the expanded deal has not been disclosed.
The Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) project is an international initiative led by Finland with Latvia, Sweden and Germany as partners. As the Prime contractor, Patria are supplying the coalition with a vehicle to succeed the XA-series 6×6 Parsi armoured personnel carrier that was introduced in the 1960’s. The new vehicle is intended to be in use with the Finnish military through into the 2060’s, slightly ahead of the expected service life of 30 years.
According to Jussi Järvinen, executive vice president of Patria’s Finland division, the CAVS programme has proceeded quickly with excellent cooperation between the manufacturer and the member countries. Järvinen added that during the 2023 deliveries to Finland, Sweden also began to take delivery, and that delivery to Latvia began in 2021.
Patria’s customisable, Nato-compatible, 6×6 armoured vehicle has a truck-like chassis structure and retains components from its predecessor, the Patria armoured modular vehicle. The primary purpose of the CAVS vehicle purchased by Finland is troop transport, but it has the capability to be customised to fulfil various combat support needs. In terms of troop carrying capacity, the new vehicle can house a maximum of three crew members and ten combat troops, with the crew occupying the front section of the hull, while the fully enclosed troop compartment is located at the back of the vehicle.
