What is known about the Patria 6X6 wheeled armored personnel carriers that Latvia is transferring to Ukraine

Latvia will provide Ukraine with 42 new Patria 6×6 armored personnel carriers of its own production. This was announced during a visit to the country by Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Valeriy Churkin. These combat vehicles have already demonstrated many advantages in the armed forces of Finland, Sweden, and Latvia, and are soon to enter service in Germany. Here is what we know about them.

Patria 6×6 armored personnel carrier

Patria 6×6 — universal six-wheeled armored personnel carrier of the international defense technology company Patria owned by the Finnish state (50.1%) and Norway’s Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace AS (49.9%). It was designed to transport troops, but thanks to its modular design, it can be used for other purposes, combining reliability and efficiency with simplicity and ease of use.

The first samples of the APC were presented in 2018. Two years later, Finland and Latvia agreed to create a common armored vehicle system (CAVS) based on the Patria 6×6. As part of the program, a plant capable of producing about 30 armored personnel carriers per year was built in Latvia. In early 2025, it was visited by the Ambassador of Ukraine, who showed production of machines intended for Ukraine.

As of July 2025, the armed forces of Finland, Latvia, and Sweden are users of the Patria 6×6. Denmark and Germany have also joined the CAVS program. The latter plans to purchase 300 units with the possibility of increasing the order by another 700. If Germany finances the purchase of Patria 6×6 for the Bundeswehr, it is expected that they will replace the fleet of Fuchs light armored vehicles.

To information, according to insiders, political pressure forced the German military to conduct comparative tests of two other armored vehicles with a 6×6 wheel configuration: the Fuchs Evolution from Rheinmetall and the Pandur Evolution from General Dynamics European Land Systems. The analysis of the data showed that the Patria 6×6 has the best performance among competitors and is the best option for procurement.

It is worth mentioning that close «relatives of» Patria are already serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After all, the Polish Rosomak wheeled armored personnel carrier, a batch of one hundred units of which Ukraine ordered in April 2023, is a licensed copy of the Patria AMV 8×8 (Armored Modular Vehicle). And an unspecified number of «grandfathered» Patria 6×6, Finnish Sisu XA-180 APCs, have been involved in the Russian-Ukrainian war since 2022.

Features of the Patria 6×6 APC

The Patria 6×6 is a 6×6 multi-purpose armored vehicle that combines the layout of the older Sisu Pasi model (six-wheeled chassis, front cab for the driver and commander, engine to the left of the driver and a troop compartment in the rear of the hull) with solutions and components of the more modern and proven in a number of local conflicts Patria AMV 8×8.

The armored vehicle with a maximum weight of 24 tons is powered by a Scania 5-cylinder diesel engine with a capacity of 400 hp, which allows it to reach a top speed of over 100 kilometers per hour. High cross-country ability (tested in Finnish snow) is ensured by all-wheel drive, independent suspension, an automatic 7-speed transmission and a central tire inflation system.

The Patria 6×6 has a crew of two, plus up to 10 fully equipped infantrymen in the landing gear compartment. The APC offers them ballistic protection level 2 according to the STANAG standard. If necessary, it can be upgraded to level 4 with protection against 14.5 mm bullets. The armored chassis also provides protection against mine explosions and improvised explosive devices weighing up to 10 kg of TNT.

The modularity of the vehicle allows for the installation of various weapon systems, including a 7.62 mm machine gun, 105 mm / 120 mm cannon, Kongsberg’s M151 Protector basic combat module or a 120 mm mortar in an unmanned turret (Patria Nemo version).

In the photo above you can see a variant of the Patria 6×6 HAPC (Heavy Armored Personnel Carrier) equipped with the remotely controlled CLWS combat module from John Cockerill Defense. Its main armament can be a 12.7 mm machine gun or a 25 mm cannon, and its secondary armament can be a twin 7.62 mm machine gun or a pair of anti-tank missiles.

To summarize, the Patria 6×6 armored personnel carrier has become the basis for the international project of the CAVS advanced combat vehicle due to its combination of a spacious landing compartment, excellent cross-country ability, and ease of maintenance. At the same time, it should be noted that insufficient protection in the context of the widespread use of precision weapons reduces the list of available scenarios for using the Patria 6×6 on the modern battlefield.