The Swedish Defence Procurement Agency (FMV) has agreed a deal to acquire 20 6×6 armoured vehicles from Finnish defence provider Patria, with the first deliveries scheduled to take place within 2023.
The Patria 6×6, which will be known as “Pansarterrängbil 300” in Swedish service, has been chosen as the platform for the common armoured vehicle system (CAVS), a collaborative effort between several European countries including Finland, Latvia, Sweden, and Germany.
Deliveries to Latvia have been ongoing since the end of 2021 and Finland received its pre-series vehicles in the summer of 2022. Sweden joined the 6×6 research and development programme in 2022 and the deliveries this year will be the first steps to meet the Swedish demand for several hundred vehicles throughout the 2020s.
Sweden has operated the older Patria XA 6×6 and AMV 8×8 for decades, and has a long history of defence collaboration with its Nordic neighbour.
While the Patria 6×6 is primarily designed for troop transportation, the vehicle can be reconfigured for a range of different purposes, including command and control and ambulance duties. When configured for troop transportation, it can accommodate up to 12 personnel.
“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 armour,” noted Mats Warstedt, head of Market Area Nordics at Patria, in a 17 April release.
Sweden hikes defence spending to align with Nato benchmark
Sweden has been moving to increase its defence budget spending to reach $8.7bn in 2023, equating to a yearly increase of 17.3%, a clear demonstration of the country’s fiscal response to the invasion of Ukraine, according to GlobalData analysis.
In its bid to join NATO, Sweden is aiming to meet the organisation’s target to spend 2.0% of GDP on defence. Sweden currently spends 1.4% of its GDP on defence, up from 1.2% in 2022.
GlobalData forecasting projects this figure to be reached in 2028, with a defence budget of $13.4bn, representing a compound annual growth rate of 6.2% from 2024 to 2028.
In 2023, 32.9% of the total defence budget was allocated to acquisition spending, providing the FMV with $2.9bn to use to acquire both existing platforms and invest in the research and development of horizon technologies and innovation.
The acquisition budget is likely to grow further over the forecast period, both in real terms and in the proportion of the budget it holds. In 2028, the acquisition budget will be $5.9bn, 43.7% of the budget.
