Slovakia and Finland have signed a Government-to-Government (G2G) contract for the delivery of the Patria Armoured Modular Vehicle XP (AMV XP) 8×8 wheeled armoured fighting vehicles for the Slovak Armed Forces. The €447M contract covers the delivery of 76 vehicles in three variants, as well as logistics, ammunition and infrastructure services. Deliveries are due to commence from 2023.
The contract follows Slovak Ministry of Defence’s March 2022 decision to select the Patria AMV XP 8×8 for the Bojovými Obrnenými Vozidlami 8×8 programme. According to the Slovak Ministry of Defence, an intergovernmental agreement on the provision of support elements for the procurement has been concluded as a complementary measure. These include quality assurance of the armoured vehicles acquired by Slovakia, possible price audits, exchange of information and user experience, and cooperation in training and exercises. Patria have stated that they will contribute to the development of Slovakia’s local engineering and defence industry within the framework of the BOV 8×8 programme and share technical experience.
The New Vehicle for Slovakia
The AMV XP is the most recent version of Patria’s AMV 8×8 wheeled protected vehicle, which has been in series production since 2004. The AMV XP has a gross vehicle weight of up to 32 tonnes, of which a 15 tonnes is available for payload. Ballistic protection is scalable, and can be increased up to STANAG 4569 Level 5. For propulsion, Patria uses a 480 kW Scania diesel engine in conjunction with an automatic transmission. The suspension system is independent at each wheel station, while the tyre pressure can be controlled via a Centralised Tyre Inflation System and wheels have run-flat inserts. The steering is hydraulically-assisted, and acts on the 1st, 2nd and 4th axles.
In terms of armament, the Turra 30 unmanned turret from Slovakian company EVPU was selected. The primary armament is the Bushmaster II Mk44 30 mm automatic cannon, which is supplemented by a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and a pod of two Anti-Tank Guided Missiles.
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