Patria has opened a new production facility in Valmiera, Latvia, for the first-ever full-cycle production of 6×6 armored vehicles in the Baltic region.
The facility will produce vehicles for the Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) program, a joint initiative between Finland, Germany, Latvia, and Sweden to deliver armored personnel carriers.
Patria’s new site was opened in partnership with the Latvian National Armed Forces (NAF), which expects to receive more than 200 6×6 units by 2029.
“The local Patria 6×6 project creates the conditions for a development breakthrough in the Latvian defence industry,” Patria Latvia Managing Director Uģis Romanovs said.
He added that the facility will serve as a stepping stone to bolster the company’s wider defense capability manufacturing.
“We are actively working to ensure that our facility also implements other capability development projects of the NAF and produces military equipment for the defence forces of other countries.”
CAVS Development
Germany is the latest country to join the CAVS program, entering the project’s research and development phase early in May to co-define future requirements and specifications for the new vehicle.
Other manufacturers including Kongsberg have been tapped to provide weapon systems for the vehicles, such as the Protector remote weapon station.
The deal, estimated to be worth 1.2 billion kroner ($110 million), will see Kongsberg equip the system’s RS4 variant on 300 vehicles ordered by Sweden and Finland.
Patria has received orders for nearly 700 since the project was launched by Estonia, Finland, and Latvia in 2020.