On August 5, Defense Partnership Latvia, a company majority-owned by Patria joint venture with Latvian partner Unitruck, handed over the first Patria 6×6 armored personnel carrier manufactured in Latvia to the Latvian Armed Forces (NAF) in a ceremony at the “Ādaži” military base.
It was only in May that the production plant for armored personnel production facility for armored personnel carriers was opened in Valmiera, Latvia. Around 30 armored personnel carriers of this type are to be produced there every year. The plant for armored vehicles in Valmiera is the first and currently the only one in the Baltic States. With the signing of a contract with Patria in 2021, the Latvian Ministry of Defense has ordered more than 200 Patria 6×6 armored vehicles to be delivered by 2029. This cooperation agreement aims to strengthen the combat capabilities of the Latvian Armed Forces. https://militaeraktuell.at/bae-systems-us-auftrag-fuer-m109a7-und-m992a3/ The event was attended by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Latvia, Andris Sprūds, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Latvian Defense Partnership and Patria Latvia, Uģis Romanovs, and the Acting Commander of the Homeland Security Force, Colonel Gunārs Vizulis. “Over the past four years since Latvia’s participation in the multinational Common Armored Vehicle Program (CAVS program), we have reached the most important milestone of the project – the delivery of the first Latvian-made armored personnel carrier to the National Armed Forces,” said Uģis Romanovs, Chairman of the Board of Defence Partnership Latvia and Patria Latvia.
He continued: “With the opening of the Valmiera plant in May, we are focusing on the Latvian armored personnel carrier order, but we are also actively working on the implementation of other projects to develop the NAF’s capabilities at our plant, strengthening both the NAF’s combat capabilities and the Latvian industry and economy as a whole.” The Patria 6×6 vehicle has been selected as the platform for the CAVS program, in which Finland, Latvia, Sweden and Germany are already participating. The CAVS-related Patria 6×6 deliveries are currently going not only to Latvia, but also to Finland and Sweden. The vehicles are already in operation there. Patria has already received orders for almost 700 Patria 6×6 vehicles, of which around 200 have already been delivered. The program is open to other European countries with similar equipment requirements, provided the participating countries agree.
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