Slovakia said Tuesday it had concluded an agreement to buy 76 AMV-XP armored vehicles from Finnish firm Patria in a deal worth 447 million euros ($447 million) as the NATO member country which borders Ukraine boosts its defense capabilities.
The delivery of the eight-wheeled vehicles that can be adapted to serve various roles will begin in September 2023 and continue into 2027.
The vehicles “will provide basic capacities which the Slovak Republic armed forces have not had until now,” Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad told journalists after meeting with his Finnish counterpart Antti Kaikkonen.
The total value of the contract includes logistics, infrastructure, and ammunition.
Finland, which shares Europe’s longest border with Russia, abandoned its long policy of non-alignment following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and is in the process of joining NATO.