On September 16, 2025, the Latvian Ministry of Defense announced the transfer of the second batch of Patria 6x6 wheeled armored personnel carriers, assembled in Latvia in Valmiera at the Defense Partnership Latvia joint venture of the Finnish Patria group and the Latvian Unitruck company, as military assistance to Ukraine. In February 2025, the Latvian Ministry of Defense announced its intention to transfer 42 Patria 6x6 armored personnel carriers of new production to Ukraine with a total cost of about 40 million euros. The first batch of these armored personnel carriers was transferred to Ukraine in July 2025 and entered service with the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade ("Azov") of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
One of the Patria 6x6 wheeled armored personnel carriers of new production transferred by Latvia as part of the second batch for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 09/15/2025 (c) Nauris Dorobajs / Ministry of Defense of Latvia
In January 2020, the Ministries of Defense of Finland and Latvia signed an agreement on the joint development of a new type of armored personnel carrier for the armies of these countries based on the armored platform of the Finnish Patria group in a variant with a 6x6 wheel formula. In April 2020, Estonia joined this agreement, but later it expressed no interest in developing the program, so in October 2020, an agreement on a joint R&D program for an armored personnel carrier under the Common Armored Vehicle System (CAVS) project was signed only by Latvia and Finland, and the Patria group. Sweden also joined the CAVS program on June 1, 2022, Germany in April 2023, Denmark on April 1, 2025, and the United Kingdom and Norway on September 9, 2025. Thus, seven countries are currently participating in the CAVS program.
On August 30, 2021, the Ministries of Defense of Latvia and Finland and Patria signed a framework agreement on the joint production and acquisition of 6x6 armored personnel carriers under the CAVS program, including a firm contract worth more than 200 million euros for the supply of 206 armored personnel carriers to Latvia, which became the first production contract for these vehicles. The first Finnish-made serial Patria 6x6 armored personnel carriers from the Patria plant in Hamenlinna were delivered to Latvia in October 2021.
The main production of Patria 6x6 vehicles for Latvia should be carried out at the Latvian plant in Valmiera, a specially created joint venture Defense Partnership Latvia. The assembly plant in Valmiera was opened on May 24, 2024, and the first armored personnel carrier of its assembly was handed over to the Latvian army in August 2024. In November 2024, the Latvian Ministry of Defense signed an additional contract with Patria worth more than 60 million euros for the supply of 56 more Patria 6x6 armored personnel carriers in the form of command and staff vehicles, which are also to be assembled at the Valmiera plant. Thus, the total number of armored personnel carriers of this type ordered by Latvia is 262 units, with deliveries through 2029. Latvia has also ordered the above-mentioned 42 armored personnel carriers for transfer to Ukraine.
In the first year, the production capacity of the Valmiera plant was announced at 30 armored personnel carriers, but later it should be increased to 160 units per year, with the intention to transfer there the assembly of a significant part of this type of vehicles for third countries. It is reported that a number of Latvian enterprises are involved in the production of the Patria 6x6 APC in Latvia. In particular, armored hulls and individual parts of armored hulls are manufactured in Kekava and Riga, frames are manufactured in Jelgava, hatch covers, doors, propellers and a number of other components are manufactured in Saldusa. It is also planned to organize the assembly of ASCOD 2 tracked infantry fighting vehicles ordered by Latvia from the Spanish division of General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS)-Santa Bárbara Sistemas of General Dynamics Corporation at the enterprise in Valmiera.
To date, the Patria 6x6 APC has also been ordered by the armed forces of Finland, Sweden and Denmark, and serial deliveries are underway to all three countries. Patria claims that by September 2025, it had already received orders from the CAVS participating countries for a total of "almost 1,000" Patria 6x6 armored personnel carriers (presumably 370 for Sweden, 262 for Latvia and 42 more by Latvia for Ukraine, 164 for Finland, 130 for Denmark, and, apparently, a small number of 120-mm NEMO self-propelled mortar system for Germany) and supplied "more than 250" of them.
Patria 6x6 wheeled armored personnel carriers of new production handed over by Latvia as part of the second batch for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 09/15/2025 (c) Nauris Dorobajs / Ministry of Defense of Latvia
One of the Patria 6x6 wheeled armored personnel carriers of new production transferred by Latvia as part of the first batch for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, July 2025 (c) the Armed Forces of Ukraine
