Latvia to Deliver 42 Patria 6×6 Armoured Personnel Carriers to Ukraine

 

via Technology.org

Latvia has now pledged to donate 42 Patria 6×6 armoured personnel carriers, as well as some parts and ammo for them. The first news that this could happen was announced several months ago, and now it seems that these vehicles are about to be delivered.

Interestingly, it appears that these Patria 6×6 armoured personnel carriers were actually assembled in Latvia. Back in 2020, Finland, Estonia and Latvia agreed on a joint development programme for Common Armoured Vehicle Systems based on Patria 6×6. As a part of that agreement, Latvia established the manufacturing of these vehicles at Valmiera. Of course, the origins of the Patria 6×6 are in Finland.

The Patria 6×6 is a wheeled armoured personnel carrier, weighing between 15.5 and 24 tonnes depending on the configuration and the suspension (vehicles with hydropneumatic suspensions weigh more). It is amphibious, capable of reaching a speed of 8 km/h in water. On the road, the Patria 6×6 is comfortably rolling at 100 km/h. And high speed is important, because in Ukraine, it helps avoid drone strikes, even if the speed is not an absolute solution. The Patria 6×6 is much faster than tracked armoured personnel carriers and very stable on the road.

I don't know if I agree with much faster than tracked APCs, well if you're talking cross country that is.

Ya know this almost appears to be a shell game.  I imagine that this was funded by the EU in some way.  These are BRAND NEW VEHICLES!  To be blunt Latvia needs them for their own defense and to just "donate" 40+ to Ukraine seems rather extravagant for such a small country. 

Regardless they're arriving just in time for the summer fighting season.  They have about 4 months till General Winter shows up and has these vehicles on roads only.