Latvia receives first Patria 6×6 APCs under joint vehicle programme with Finland

Latvia received the first four Patria 6×6 APCs on 29 October under a joint vehicle programme with Finland. (Patria)

Latvia received the first four Patria 6×6 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) on 29 October under a joint vehicle programme with Finland, the Latvian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on its website the same day. The ministry plans a formal acceptance ceremony for the the new vehicles and to present them to the media on 3 November.

The week before the handover of the vehicles, Latvian armed forces personnel completed two weeks of user, instructor, and maintenance training at Patria in Hämeenlinna, Finland, to prepare to operate the vehicles, the Finnish company reported in a press release on 29 October. The Latvian MoD said maintenance, repair, and the possible modernisation of the armoured vehicles would be performed in Latvia, adding that the programme is an investment in the national economy and ensures security of supply, which was one of Riga's preconditions for launching the research and development phase for the vehicle.

Latvia signed a contract with Patria on 30 August for over 200 6×6 APCs worth around EUR200 million(USD231 million), including support and training systems, for delivery by 2029. In addition, Finland and Patria signed a letter of intent (LOI) for 160 new APCs in 2023.

Finland, Latvia, and Patria also signed a frame agreement in late August for the production phase management of the programme.