Patria To Cooperate With Babcock For New Armoured Vehicle

Patria and Babcock International Group (Babcock) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to present the Patria 6x6 vehicle platform to the UK armed forces to meet the operational requirements of the British Army.

According to the agreement, Patria will lead the design and development of the system, providing bespoke enhancements to the existing 6x6 platform of the UK armed forces. Babcock will provide a solution to build at scale, in line with the UK MOD Land Industrial Strategy, as well as a platform support package that will maintain operational readiness of the vehicle throughout its lifecycle.

Patria 6x6 is a modular, robust, and affordable vehicle platform suited for a wide variety of specific configurations for diverse missions that offers high performance, modern protection and unprecedented mobility. It is currently in production under the multinational Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) programme led by Finland and joined by Latvia, Sweden and Germany. Patria 6x6 vehicle deliveries are ongoing, and vehicles are already in operational use. Patria has received orders for over 800 Patria 6x6 vehicles of which already over 200 have been delivered. The programme is open to other European countries and enables coordinated procurement of a joint platform that can face tomorrow’s threats.

Patria, that has more than four decades of experience in developing and delivering state-of-the-art protected troop transportation and system integration, leads the 6x6 armoured vehicle system development as the prime contractor within the CAVS programme. The vast majority of supply of the vehicles is conducted by utilizing the member nations’ local industry capabilities and every new nation is inherently reinforcing the security of supply for the whole collaboration system.

As a strategic partner to the British Army, Babcock is a tried and tested system integrator and platform build specialist with extensive production facilities. The highly skilled workforce is currently delivering high volume build programmes for the UK armed forces, at pace.

“We are pleased to start a unique partnership that will provide significant added value for the United Kingdom. Europe needs collaboration and joint procurements and the UK rapidly needs a cost-effective, fully developed, off-the-shelf vehicle platform. Patria 6x6 is already in production, fielded by NATO partner nations and will be manufactured and supported locally in the UK to meet the high requirements and technical standards of the British Army,” says Hugo Vanbockryck, Senior Vice President, Market Area Europe of Patria.

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