Sweden, the latest member of the Nato alliance, purchased 321 six-wheeled Common Armoured Vehicles Systems (CAVS) from Patria as part of a contract worth €470m ($510m), the company announced on 20 March.
The CAVS project is an international initiative led by Finland with Latvia, Sweden and Germany as partners. This purchase follows on from an April 2023 contract with Patria for the provision of 20 CAVS to Sweden.
The Patria CAVS 6×6 armoured wheeled vehicle is an all-wheel drive combat vehicle selected by Sweden for troop transportation, with a capacity for 12 personnel, with a modular architecture capable of fulfilling various other roles including command and control and ambulance duties.
Known in Sweden as the Pansarterrängbil 300, the new armoured vehicles will be stationed with units around the country as well as at Livgardet regiment in Kungsängen.
“Sweden is an increasingly important market for us, and we are glad to be able to support the Swedish Armed Forces at a time of their significant expansion,” said Mats Warstedt, senior vice president of market area Nordics at Patria. “We are confident that we can fill the deliveries promptly as we have done previously.”
“Pansarterrängbil 300 vehicle is an excellent example of Finnish-Swedish cooperation as the vehicle is designed for Nordic conditions from the start and significant value is provided by Swedish suppliers, such as the engine and the steel of its armour,” continued Warstedt.
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 has a payload capacity that can accommodate STANAG level 4 ballistic and mine protection.
Neighbouring Finland, Sweden’s immediate antecedent in gaining Nato membership, has also made recent large purchases of Patriot CAVS, announcing the purchase of 91 units in June 2023 and expanding the contract to include an additional 40 units in January 2024, bringing its total up to 131 CAVS.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, proceeding Sweden and Finland’s entrance to Nato, nations on Nato’s Eastern Flank and in the High North have seen significant military expenditure.
