Texelis, Scata team up on medium-heavy vehicle that can do drone defense

MILAN — French company Texelis Defense and Finnish defense manufacturer Scata have partnered to develop new combat vehicle made entirely in Finland, with variants planned for counter-drone and air-defense operations.

The 18-ton vehicle, dubbed the MK1, was developed in less than a year and is envisioned as a multi-role platform incorporating lessons the companies have drawn from the war in Ukraine.

Company officials told Defense News the project took shape after they identified a market gap in the European market: an intermediate segment between light vehicles and heavy-duty vehicles.

“In Finland, we already have two combat vehicle suppliers, Sisu and Patria, whose offers range between 10-15 and 24 tons – we wanted to create something in the middle, to widen the portfolio of vehicles coming from Finland,” Viktor Ekman, the CEO of Scata, told Defense News in March 19 interview.

Ekman said he considers his company to be an “add-on” to those two firms, rather than a competitor.

The new vehicle is designed to perform a variety of missions, including reconnaissance, troop transport for up to 10 soldiers, anti-drone operations and short-range air defense.

In the counter-drone category, the manufacturer is still assessing weaponry options, including interceptor drones that would be launched from the roof or from the inside of the vehicle to intercept incoming unmanned craft, Ekman said.

Enginneers have placed special emphasis on hardening the top side of the Mk1, given how combat vehicles have been significantly damaged in Ukraine by first-person-view drones.

For Ukrainian forces, cheap and short-term solutions to this issue have included metal cages or mesh, which cause an early detonation of explosive charges.

The Finnish-made combat vehicle is slated to be on display at the Eurosatory arms fair in Paris, which runs June 15-19.

Ekman said the company is in discussions with Finland and Sweden as potential launch customers.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——法国公司 Texelis Defense 和芬兰国防制造商 Scata 合作开发了一种完全在芬兰制造的新型作战车辆，并计划推出用于反无人机和防空作战的衍生型号。

这款重达 18 吨的车辆，被命名为 MK1，在不到一年的时间内研发完成，其设计理念是将各公司从乌克兰战争中汲取的经验教训融入到一个多用途平台中。

公司官员告诉《防务新闻》，该项目是在他们发现欧洲市场存在市场空白后形成的：轻型车辆和重型车辆之间的中间细分市场。

“在芬兰，我们已经有两家作战车辆供应商，Sisu 和 Patria，他们的产品吨位在 10-15 吨到 24 吨之间——我们想创造一种介于两者之间的产品，以扩大芬兰车辆的产品组合，”Scata 首席执行官 Viktor Ekman 在 3 月 19 日接受《防务新闻》采访时表示。

埃克曼表示，他认为自己的公司是这两家公司的“补充”，而不是竞争对手。

这款新型车辆设计用于执行各种任务，包括侦察、运送最多 10 名士兵的部队、反无人机作战和短程防空。

埃克曼表示，在反无人机领域，制造商仍在评估武器选项，包括从车顶或车辆内部发射的拦截无人机，以拦截来袭的无人飞行器。

鉴于乌克兰战场上第一人称视角无人机对作战车辆造成了严重破坏，工程师们特别重视加固 Mk1 的顶部。

对于乌克兰军队来说，解决这一问题的廉价且短期的办法包括使用金属笼或网，但这会导致爆炸装置提前引爆。

这款芬兰制造的战斗车辆计划在6月15日至19日在巴黎举行的欧洲防务展上展出。

埃克曼表示，公司正在与芬兰和瑞典进行洽谈，希望两国成为公司的首发客户。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。