"This is a completely new type of Patria 6x6 armored vehicle, which was developed as part of the common armored vehicle system (CAVS) research and development program in cooperation with the Finnish and Swedish Ministries of Defense and the armed forces. Command-type armored vehicles will improve understanding of the battlefield situation and ensure quick, effective and safe information exchange," said the ministry in a statement.
"The new Patria 6x6 command and control armored vehicles will significantly improve the operational capabilities and capacity of our armed forces, as well as contribute to the development of the Latvian military industry, continuing the successful cooperation between the defense industry and industry," said Defense Minister Andris Sprūds.
"We are pleased that it is in Latvia that we will be able to fulfill the new order from the Ministry of Defense, strengthening the capabilities of the National Armed Forces. The production plant in Valmiera, opened in May, is fully suitable for the production of the new "Patria 6x6". It is a high responsibility, and the fulfillment of this order will be possible thanks to the transfer of technology and knowledge from Finland and the competent team of "Defence Partnership Latvia", said Uģis Romanovs, executive director of Patria Latvia.
“We are pleased to have a new armoured vehicle variant in the joint CAVS programme and Latvia as the first customer for it. The deep cooperation between Patria, Latvia and other CAVS member nations has yet again proved its benefits in the form of cost-effective and efficient research and development programme which enables rapid manufacturing and delivery process,” said Mats Warstedt, Senior Vice President of Market Area Nordics of Patria.
The national armed forces will receive the first armored personnel carriers at the end of this year, while the rest will be delivered gradually until 2029.
It is planned to attract a cluster of Latvian companies to provide the necessary parts and structural elements for the command armored vehicles, while the production of the armored vehicles themselves will be carried out at the factory of the PATRIA group company "Defence Partnership Latvia" in Valmiera.
As part of an intergovernmental cooperation program between Finland, Latvia, Sweden and Germany, on August 30, 2021, Latvia signed a general agreement on the purchase of Patria 6x6 armored vehicles, which included an order for more than 200 armored personnel carriers.
In parallel, together with partner countries, the Latvian Ministry of Defense and the National Armed Forces continued cooperation within the framework of the CAVS research and development program, including the development of a joint command and control platform. The platform development and design works were concluded in the summer of this year, which allowed the Ministry of Defense, in addition to the purchase of armored personnel carriers, to negotiate and supplement the order with 56 more armored command vehicles.
