Finland, Latvia and Patria reach agreement on Common Armoured Vehicle System
On 30 August 2021, the Finnish and Latvian Ministries of Defence and Patria signed a framework agreement on the Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS). At the same time, Finland's Ministry of Defence and Patria signed a Letter of Intent on the procurement of 160 new armoured personnel carriers in 2023. The contractual arrangements concern the implementation of a development programme to build and safeguard the Army's operational mobility on wheeled vehicles.
The Framework Agreement follows the completion of the first research and development elements of the CAVS programme under the Research and Development Agreement signed in October 2020. To date, the R&D work has yielded a Common Platform and an APC variant that meet the common requirements set by Finland and Latvia. The purpose of the Framework Agreement is to establish a collaborative framework for the procurement phase of the programme. With the Framework Agreement signed, participating countries can sign their national procurement contracts, taking into account their national schedules.
- The Framework Agreement is an important milestone in this multinational defence cooperation project led by Finland. As a result, national orders can now be made in accordance with Finland's and Latvia's own timetables, says Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen.
- The Letter of Intent between the Ministry of Defence and Patria demonstrates the strong intention of the Defence Administration to order a series of new armoured personnel carriers in 2023.
Research and development work on other vehicle variants and life-cycle support system will continue based on the requirements jointly defined by Finland and Latvia. Patria's 6 x 6 vehicle platform was chosen as the basis for research and development in January 2020. The research and development programme remains open for third countries to join.
Inquiries: Senior Adviser Frans Peltonen, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 295 140 021, and Colonel Rainer Peltoniemi, Inspector of Infantry, Army Command Finland, tel. +358 299 800 (switchboard).