Germany has now officially joined the Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) research and development programme led by Finland, Latvia and Sweden, suggesting it will order the 6×6 armoured vehicle developed by Patria.
Initially founded by Finland and Latvia in 2021, the CAVS programme is a collaborative effort among various governments to introduce a modernised armoured vehicle system. After evaluating the available solutions, the Patria 6×6 vehicle was selected as the platform for the programme.
By confirming the technical arrangement, Germany takes the next contractual step after initially signing a statement of intent to participate in the multinational CAVS programme in June 2022.
Sweden joined the programme in 2022 and proceeds now by joining the framework agreement as the next stage of preparation for the serial procurement phase, making it possible to order from Patria and test its own series of vehicles. The actual serial procurement will be carried out after the test phase and will involve the acquisition of several vehicle types, totalling hundreds of vehicles.
Latvia has placed an order for more than 200 Patria 6×6 armoured vehicles while Finland has signed a letter of intent for 160 vehicles.
In 2021, Finland initiated a serial procurement process that involved commissioning a test series by the Defence Forces. The purpose of the test series was to determine the appropriate equipment for the vehicles. The Finnish Defence Forces are currently in the process of finalising the serial order for their new XA-300 armoured vehicles, with the goal of having them operational by the end of this year.
The CAVS 6×6 all-wheel drive armoured vehicle from Patria is a protected tactical troop transportation that can carry ten personnel, as well as a crew of two operators. It has a modular design to allow its specifications to be configured to meet a diverse range of mission requirements, and countries will use common components for the vehicles to increase interoperability.
As an optional feature, the vehicle offers an amphibious capability for water crossing and landing operations. In addition to its optimised configuration featuring STANAG level 2 ballistic and mine protection, the CAVS boasts a payload capacity that can accommodate STANAG level 4 ballistic and mine protection.
