Patria, Valmet to jointly produce armoured vehicles

Majority Finnish state-owned defence arms factory Patria and automotive contract manufacturer Valmet Automotive signed a Letter of Intent (‘LOI’) on manufacturing and testing armoured vehicles at Valmet Automotive’s facility in Uusikaupunki, said Patria in a press release on Friday.

Patria has substantially increased its own production and is investing in its facilities in Hämeenlinna, Finland and Valmiera, Latvia, while continuing to promote its technology transfer and local manufacturing concept.

Patria’s Protected Mobility business, which includes the Patria 6x6, Patria AMV XP, and Patria TRACKX armoured vehicle programmes, has grown significantly in recent years.

“Patria is focused on delivering to existing customers and boosting production capacity to meet rising demand for Patria’s armoured vehicles. Patria’s production levels are well positioned to fulfill all existing orders; however, we are seeking additional capacity. Therefore, Patria is now considering a partnership also with Valmet Automotive in manufacturing our armoured vehicles,” said Jussi Järvinen, Patria’s Executive Vice President of Protected Mobility in the press release.

“The Letter of Intent with Patria on manufacturing and testing armored vehicles is a concrete demonstration of the progress of our strategy extending beyond the automotive industry. We are pleased that our expertise is in demand also in other industries that require high technological capabilities. This Letter of Intent is a major first step for us in contract manufacturing in the defense sector,” said Pasi Rannus, Chief Executive Officer of Valmet Automotive.

Technology transfer and local manufacturing are integral to Patria’s business model.

Through the Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) programme alone, Patria has already received orders for nearly 1,000 Patria 6x6 vehicles. While the CAVS programme utilises local industry via technology transfer to support security of supply, Patria currently manufactures vehicles in Finland and in Latvia and by local partners in Poland and Slovakia.

Technology transfer is underway for German CAVS 6x6 and Japanese AMV XP 8x8 programmes.