Finnish-Latvian vehicle development programme to be based on Patria platform

摘要

Latvian Defence Minister Artis Pabriks and his Finnish counterpart, Antti Kaikkonen, signed a technical agreement to improve the mobility of their armed forces by developing a new armoured vehicle system based on Patria's 6×6 platform, the Latvian and Finnish ministries of defence (MoDs) and Finnish company announced on 29 January. If the two countries participating in the programme agree to procure a common vehicle, it will increase mobility, cost-efficiency, interoperability, and security of supply of the armies of both countries, they said. The Latvian MoD added that, if the vehicle platform research and development is successful, it expected deliveries of the first vehicles by 2021, continuing for around a decade, with prices determined by Latvian requirements, such as the number of units and versions. The Latvian ministry plans to negotiate national industrial involvement and technology transfer. The Finnish MoD and Patria said the joint programme would be open to other countries if Finland and Latvia mutually agree. Kaikkonen placed this in the context of deepening defence co-operation between member states of the EU, in which Finland and Latvia are both members.