Finland completes mid-life upgrade of XA-180 APCs

Patria has completed the mid-life upgrade of the FDF XA-180 6×6 APCs (pictured) and has delivered the last upgraded vehicles to the Finnish Army. (Patria)

Patria announced in a press release on 23 November that it had completed the mid-life upgrade of the Finnish Defence Forces' (FDF's) XA-180 6×6 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and had delivered the last upgraded vehicles to the Finnish Army. The company said the life cycle of the vehicles has been secured until the 2040s, by when the XA-180 is planned to be replaced by new Patria 6×6 vehicles.

All XA-series vehicles were modernised and aligned with modifications, including new electrical systems and communications equipment; an updated crew space with improved seating; and the inspection, repair, or replacement of key components such as engines, power transmission, and axles, according to Patria. Sirje Ahvenlampi-Hyvönen, the company's vice-president for group communications, told Janes on 24 November that all the FDF's “XA-series vehicles have been completely maintained and modernised, including driving capability improvements, alignment of all electrical systems and communications equipment, installing the crew space with improved seating solutions, and surface finishing. Besides the vehicles, the project included standardisation of logistics and updates in terms of product documentation and spare parts”.

The mid-life upgrade contract was signed by the FDF and Patria in 2013. When asked by Janes why the upgrade took so long, Ahvenlampi-Hyvönen said, “The project proceeded as planned and in the planned schedule, following the needs of the client. The project included several phases − the mid-life upgrade agreement including options between Patria and the Finnish Defence Forces was signed in 2013 when the first phase started. After this, there were several phases as options.”