At the “Ādaži” military installation, the first armoured personnel carrier (named “Patria 6×6”) built in Latvia was given to the Latvian National Armed Forces on Monday, August 5, 2024.
The Latvian Ministry of Defence placed an order for about 200 Patria 6×6 armoured vehicles in 2021, with deliveries not expected to begin until 2029. The Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) are better equipped to fight thanks to this cooperation agreement, which also helps the country’s military industry and technology grow.
The National Guard commander Colonel Gunārs Vizulis and the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Latvia, Andris Sprūds, as well as the chairman of the boards of “Patria Latvia” and “Defence Partnership Latvia” Uģis Romanovs, participated in the ceremony.
An armoured personnel carrier production facility was inaugurated in Valmiera at the end of May. The facility has the capacity to build about thirty “Patria 6×6” armoured personnel carriers a year. The first and currently only armoured vehicle production facility in the Baltics is the Valmiera-based Patria plant.
“After participating in the Multinational Common 6×6 Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) program for four years, Latvia has reached the project’s most significant milestone: delivering the first fully cycled armoured personnel carrier made in Latvia to the National Armed Forces (NBS).” “We are actively working to ensure that other NBS capability development projects are also implemented at our plant, strengthening both the combat capabilities of the NBS and Latvian industry and economy as a whole,” says Uğis Romanovs, Chairman of the Board of Patria Latvia and “Defence Partnership Latvia,” in reference to the opening of the Valmiera production plant in May.
