Patria has unveiled a mobile 155mm self-propelled artillery system for the Finnish Navy’s coastal defense requirements.
The 52-caliber ARVE howitzer combines the company’s existing 155 K 98 towed howitzer onto a Sisu E13TP 8×8 all-terrain truck.
It has a range of 40 kilometers (25 miles) and can fire three rounds in 15 seconds and a maximum of eight rounds in one minute.
In sustain mode, it launches two shells per minute, according to Helsinki Times.
The ARVE carries 24 rounds and takes 90 seconds to set up and fire and 45 seconds to scoot.
Powered by a 55 HP engine, the system’s maximum speed is 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour and can travel up to 600 kilometers (373 miles) on 400 liters (196 gallons) of fuel.
It features a manual reloading and laying system, while an automatic version is being considered along with an improved gun-controlled system, according to Helsinki Times.
Mobile Coastal Artillery
The new system supports the Finnish Navy’s effort to rearm its mobile coastal artillery arm, which was disbanded in the mid-2000s.
The service earlier relied on towed Soviet 152mm howitzers and later on 130mm M-46 towed and fixed guns for coastal defense.
The 130mm fixed gun, the 130 TK, remains in service and will be replaced with a mobile artillery compatible with NATO standard 155mm rounds.
It should be able to engage vessels in territorial waters, littoral areas, including the archipelago, and enemy forces on land, according to a tender notice by the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command.
A total of 16 units are sought, with competitors including the Swedish Archer, the French Caesar, the Slovak Zuzana, and the Israeli Atmos, Lieutenant General Mikko Heiskanen said in June 2024.
