The sixth and seventh members, the United Kingdom and Norway, have joined the multinational Common Armored Vehicle System (CAVS) program. They will become operators of Finnish Patria 6x6 wheeled armored personnel carriers, which are already in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Currently, only a technical agreement has been signed, and several more stages remain, during which countries will define their needs and corresponding order volumes. Most likely, local industry will be involved in the execution of the contract.
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It should be noted that CAVS was launched in 2020 by the Finnish and Latvian ministries of defense as a way to create a 6x6 wheeled armored vehicle to meet their own needs and promote the Finnish defense industry. The project will boost European cooperation and has been awarded a €60 million grant from the EU.
So far, over 250 vehicles have been delivered to Sweden, Latvia, and Finland under the program, with orders for around a thousand more. Denmark was the last to contract for 129 of these armored personnel carriers. Thanks to the new participants, the number of contracts could rise by several hundred or more.
Ukraine also benefits from CAVS, as Latvia manufactures Patria 6x6 vehicles for Ukraine at its own facilities. It is known that the first batch was transferred for the needs of the 3rd Army Corps.
From Defense Express we would like to add that wheeled armored personnel carriers will improve logistics and equipment use for both the EU and NATO. Large orders also allow for increased production and reduced costs per unit.
Norway benefits as well, already operating the SISU XA-185, XA-186, and XA-203N, also known as Patria Pasi, the predecessors of the current armored vehicle. This could involve either replacing or expanding the current fleet.
The UK currently operates only the heavier and costlier Boxer among similar wheeled vehicles, so replacing it with the lighter, more affordable Patria 6x6 makes sense. The cost-effectiveness of this solution is also an important factor for the country.
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