Lithuania to buy Patria armored vehicles, eyes local industry share

WARSAW, Poland — Lithuania’s State Defense Council, the country’s top defense decision-making body, has authorized the Ministry of National Defence to purchase Patria six-wheel-drive armored personnel carriers for the Lithuanian Army.

A contract is expected to be signed with the Finnish producer in 2027, with Lithuania’s defense industry expected to capture a share of the planned procurement.

“This is a multifunctional platform on which air-defense systems and capabilities can be installed, and it will also serve military medical and logistics purposes,” Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas was quoted in a statement released by the ministry.

Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda, who is the council’s chair, told local reporters the military is to acquire 936 six-wheel-drive vehicles from the producer.

“The Patria team has already worked locally with Lithuanian industry for over a year, and the collaboration has been very positive and active,” Jussi Järvinen, the executive vice president of protected mobility at Patria, said in a statement released by the firm.

The company is pleased with “Lithuania’s decision to opt for the Patria 6x6 armored vehicle platform through potential participation in the CAVS program,” the statement reads.

Under the plan, the new wheeled vehicles will replace Lithuania’s fleet of second-hand M113 armored personnel carriers. By accessing the Common Armoured Vehicle System, or CAVS, program, Lithuania could join a group of allies that includes Finland, Latvia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany and the U.K. The Ukrainian military is also a user of Patria 6x6 vehicles.

As Lithuania is advancing plans to spend around €6.4 billion ($7.5 billion) from the European Union’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) low-cost loans on new weapons, gear and ammunition, the nation’s authorities are also intensifying efforts to attract investments by foreign defense industry players. Earlier this month, during his speech at the DAIMEX Baltic conference in Vilnius, Nausėda said Lithuania’s officials aim to integrate the country’s defense companies into international supply chains.

In its statement, the Lithuanian ministry said the key criteria driving its selection of Patria’s vehicle include the implementation of NATO requirements and interoperability with allied forces, production timelines, price, but also industrial cooperation opportunities for Lithuania’s companies.

“The latter [criterion] will ensure that a part of the funds allocated for the acquisition stays in the Lithuanian economy,” the ministry said.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——立陶宛最高国防决策机构——国家国防委员会已授权国防部为立陶宛军队购买 Patria 六轮驱动装甲运兵车。

预计将于 2027 年与芬兰生产商签署合同，立陶宛国防工业有望在计划采购中获得一部分份额。

立陶宛国防部长罗伯塔斯·考纳斯在国防部发布的一份声明中表示：“这是一个多功能平台，可以安装防空系统和相关能力，还将用于军事医疗和后勤用途。”

立陶宛总统吉塔纳斯·瑙塞达（同时也是该委员会主席）告诉当地记者，军方将从该生产商处采购 936 辆六轮驱动车辆。

“Patria 团队已经与立陶宛当地工业界合作一年多了，合作非常积极有效，”Patria 安全移动执行副总裁 Jussi Järvinen 在公司发布的一份声明中表示。

声明中写道：“该公司对立陶宛决定通过参与 CAVS 项目选择 Patria 6x6 装甲车平台感到高兴。”

根据该计划，新型轮式车辆将取代立陶宛现有的二手M113装甲运兵车。通过加入通用装甲车辆系统（CAVS）项目，立陶宛有望加入芬兰、拉脱维亚、瑞典、丹麦、挪威、德国和英国等盟友行列。乌克兰军队也装备了帕特里亚（Patria）6x6型车辆。

立陶宛正推进一项计划，拟利用欧盟“欧洲安全行动”（SAFE）低息贷款中的约64亿欧元（75亿美元）用于采购新型武器、装备和弹药。与此同时，该国政府也在加大力度吸引外国国防工业企业的投资。本月初，瑙塞达在维尔纽斯举行的DAIMEX波罗的海会议上发表讲话时表示，立陶宛官员的目标是将该国的国防企业融入国际供应链。

立陶宛国防部在声明中表示，选择 Patria 公司的车辆的关键标准包括满足北约要求和与盟军的互操作性、生产时间表、价格，以及为立陶宛公司提供的工业合作机会。

该部表示：“后一项（标准）将确保用于收购的部分资金留在立陶宛经济中。”

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。