UK, Norway join Patria APC program, with plans for British production

LONDON — The United Kingdom and Norway joined the Patria-led European program for a six-wheeled armored personnel carrier, bringing the number of participating countries to seven, the Finnish company announced at the DSEI UK defense show here on Tuesday.

Patria and British defense firm Babcock International additionally signed an agreement to manufacture the armored carrier in the U.K. under the program, called Common Armoured Vehicle System or CAVS, the companies said.

The Finnish defense company is the lead designer of CAVS, based on the Patria 6x6 wheeled platform and manufactured in Finland but also locally in Latvia, with plans for production in Germany. The APC costs between €1.1 million and €1.5 million (US$1.3 million-1.8 million) per vehicle, based on recent purchases by Latvia and Sweden.

“As European security needs to be strengthened, multinational collaboration is increasingly important for interoperability, interchangeability and security of supply among allies,” Patria CEO Esa Rautalinko said in a statement.

Patria says it’s received orders for nearly 1,000 6x6 vehicles, and delivered more than 250 through the CAVS program, making it the current best-seller in the Finnish company’s portfolio.

Separately, Patria announced a new tracked APC at DSEI UK on Tuesday for all-terrain troop transport, which it aims to have ready for serial production in 2027.

Babcock will manufacture the Patria 6x6 vehicles for the British Army, under the agreement announced on Tuesday, after the U.K. Ministry of Defence officially joined the CAVS program.

“Our partnership brings clear benefits,” said Jussi Järvinen, Patria’s executive vice president for protected mobility. “The UK needs a proven ready-to-use vehicle platform, and the Patria 6x6, already operational in NATO countries, will be locally built and supported to meet British Army requirements.”

Babcock said CAVS is being used by a growing number of countries in the Joint Expeditionary Force alliance, of which the U.K. is a member, with JEF members Finland, Latvia, Sweden, Denmark and Germany all buying the APC.

“We are proud to be working with Patria as their official build partner on the 6×6, and as a strategic partner of the British Army, we are perfectly positioned to deliver a large fleet of formidable, proven armored personnel carriers,” said Tom Newman, the CEO for Babcock’s land sector.

CAVS has Stanag level 2 ballistic and mine protection, designed to withstand armored-piercing rifle rounds, and can be upgraded to level 4 for protection against high-caliber AP rounds. The vehicle can carry up to 10 soldiers in the rear, in addition to the driver and commander.

The all-wheel-drive, diesel-powered APC has a maximum combat weight of 24 metric tons, including a maximum payload of 8.5 tons, and has a top speed of more than 100 kilometers per hour and a range of more than 700 kilometers.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

伦敦——芬兰公司 Patria 周二在英国防务展 (DSEI UK) 上宣布，英国和挪威加入了由该公司牵头的欧洲六轮装甲运兵车项目，使参与国数量达到七个。

Patria 和英国国防公司 Babcock International 还签署了一项协议，根据名为“通用装甲车辆系统”（CAVS）的项目在英国生产装甲运兵车，两家公司表示。

这家芬兰国防公司是CAVS装甲运兵车的主要设计方，该车基于Patria 6x6轮式平台，在芬兰和拉脱维亚本地生产，并计划在德国生产。根据拉脱维亚和瑞典最近的采购情况，每辆CAVS装甲运兵车的单价在110万至150万欧元（130万至180万美元）之间。

Patria 首席执行官 Esa Rautalinko 在一份声明中表示：“随着欧洲安全需要加强，多国合作对于盟友之间的互操作性、互换性和供应安全越来越重要。”

Patria 表示，已收到近 1000 辆 6x6 车辆的订单，并通过 CAVS 计划交付了 250 多辆，使其成为这家芬兰公司目前最畅销的产品。

另外，Patria公司周二在英国防务展（DSEI UK）上宣布推出一款新型履带式装甲运兵车，用于全地形部队运输，该公司计划在2027年实现批量生产。

根据周二宣布的协议，巴布科克公司将为英国陆军生产 Patria 6x6 车辆。此前，英国国防部正式加入了 CAVS 项目。

“我们的合作带来了显而易见的益处，”帕特里亚公司负责防护机动性的执行副总裁尤西·亚尔维宁表示，“英国需要一款成熟可靠、随时可用的车辆平台，而帕特里亚的6x6车辆已经在北约国家投入使用，我们将根据英国陆军的需求，在当地进行生产和维护。”

巴布科克表示，越来越多的联合远征军联盟国家正在使用 CAVS 装甲运兵车，英国也是该联盟的成员之一，其中芬兰、拉脱维亚、瑞典、丹麦和德国等成员国都购买了该型装甲运兵车。

“我们很荣幸能与 Patria 合作，成为其 6×6 装甲车的官方建造合作伙伴。作为英国陆军的战略合作伙伴，我们完全有能力交付一支强大的、久经考验的装甲运兵车车队，”巴布科克陆地部门首席执行官汤姆·纽曼说道。

CAVS具备STANAG 2级弹道和地雷防护能力，可抵御穿甲步枪弹，并可升级至4级以抵御高口径穿甲弹。除驾驶员和车长外，该车辆后部最多可搭载10名士兵。

这款全轮驱动、柴油动力装甲运兵车的最大战斗重量为 24 公吨，最大有效载荷为 8.5 吨，最高时速超过 100 公里/小时，续航里程超过 700 公里。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。