Bolstering interoperability and collective defence amongst EU member states is at the heart of the ambitious Common Armoured Vehicle Systems (CAVS) programme, which is gaining momentum, not simply with the numbers of vehicles on order growing significantly, but also in the efficient manner in which the whole effort is being conducted and coordinated.
Overview
The CAVS programme was initiated in 2019 between Finland and Latvia, with Estonia also at the table at the time. Its aim was to develop a new 6×6 armoured vehicle to meet the overlapping requirements of participating nations, settle on the right design and for all participating members to then procure the platform in quantity, so economies-of-scale in its manufacturing would make it cost effective. After considering other contenders, Patria’s XA-300 6×6 armoured wheeled vehicle was chosen for CAVS. (Referred to simply as the Patria 6×6 for the rest of this article).
However, before 2020 was out, Estonia had left the project, (subsequently purchasing Arma 6×6 armoured vehicles from Turkish maker, Otokar, in late 2023), but this hiccup did not prevent the programme’s important R&D agreement from being signed at the end of 2020. Then, in June 2022, the third member to formally join CAVS was Sweden, a decision no doubt fuelled by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as its related intentions, at that time, (subsequently fulfilled), to join NATO.
Highlighting how quickly CAVS has moved, vehicle deliveries to Finland, Latvia, and Sweden began within the project’s first three years and before the programme’s fourth member, Germany, joined officially in April 2023.
Fast-moving EU funding
One of the programme’s most heartening developments of 2024 came when the EU announced its EDIRPA – European Defence Industry Reinforcement through Common Procurement Act – work programme funding awards on 14 November. This funding was created to boost defence readiness with what the EU called its ‘first ever financial support for common defence procurement’. CAVS was one of 12 programmes put forward for EDIRPA support with the submission made by the Finnish Defence Administration, meeting the tight 25 July 2024 deadline. The funding programme, only established in March 2024, is a short-term mechanism with a budget of around EUR 310 million, created in response to growing Russian aggression in Europe; its premise is to support urgent and critical procurement of defence equipment through cooperation between member states and, in turn, increase military materiel assistance to Ukraine. It covers what it calls the most urgent defence materiel, namely: ammunition, air and missile defence, as well as platforms and the replacement of legacy systems, the latter is where CAVS comes in.
The ministry also confirmed numbers of firm orders for the Patria 6×6 under the CAVS programme, as they understood them at mid-November 2024, with Finland now having ordered 164 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and also having signed an agreement for heavy armoured personnel carriers (HAPCs) for what it called ‘crisis management use’. Latvia, it said, has now ordered more than 200 APCs, as well as having recently signed an agreement for 56 command and control (C2) vehicles. Third programme member, Sweden, had a total of 321 CAVS family vehicles on order, as of spring 2023.
Latvia’s and Finland’s latest tranches
At the same time as the EU’s EDIPRA funding was announced in November, an agreement between Patria and the Latvian MoD was unveiled on the manufacturing and delivery of 56 additional Patria 6×6s, in a deal worth in excess of EUR 60 million. These were in addition to the already ongoing CAVS deliveries to Latvia. The latest vehicles are to be configured as C2 variants, with production using local industry capabilities in Latvia, including Patria’s armoured vehicle production facility in Valmiera, which opened in May 2024. Deliveries of the 56 began by end 2024 and are due to last until 2029. Andris Sprūds, Latvian Minister of Defence, said that the new Patria 6×6 C2 vehicles will significantly improve the operational capabilities of Latvia’s armed forces, as well as contributing to the development of the country’s defence industry.
Patria’s Mats Warstedt, senior VP, the Nordic Region, referring to the C2 vehicle, added, “We are pleased to have a new armoured vehicle variant in the joint CAVS programme and Latvia as the first customer for it.” He emphasised that the intense cooperation between Patria, Latvia and other CAVS member nations was proving its benefits in terms of cost-effective and efficient R&D, thereby enabling rapid manufacturing and a rapid delivery process.
Jussi Järvinen, responsible for Patria’s operations in Finland, said in a statement, “Redemption of the entire domestic additional purchase option is remarkable for Patria and the whole international CAVS joint programme.” Underlining the efficiency with which the CAVS programme was being conducted and the benefits it offered participants, he said, “The programme has progressed rapidly thanks to excellent cooperation between Patria and the participating CAVS member countries.” He added the joint project had enabled cost-effective vehicle development and lifecycle support, quick procurements, and equipment compatibility, thereby strengthening European defence cooperation.
Finland and Latvia had actually signed a CAVS Life Cycle Management (LCM) agreement in August 2024, with an expectation that the other two members might join later. The CAVS LCM contract is based on Patria’s own Optime service concept, designed to meet bespoke individual customer requirements across a broad range of services and solutions required to ensure acceptable fleet availability levels at all times. By adopting the LCM contract, it brings to three, the number of CAVS framework agreements in which these two members are now involved, comprising: research & development; manufacturing and sustainment; as well as life cycle management. Mats Warstedt stated that the “CAVS Programme is entering into the sustainment phase by the signing of this CAVS LCM contract, which will secure long-term co-operation for always keeping the fleets fully operational.” He added the contract is the first Patria Optime-based agreement for the company. As to when Sweden and Germany will embark on LCM-contract signing has yet to be determined.
A busy year – German moves
CAVS’ latest partner found 2024 to be a busy year. In mid-February, Germany’s industrial base for the programme set a major milestone, when Defence Service Logistics (DSL – part of KNDS group) and Flensburger Fahrzeugbau GmbH (FFG) announced their teaming with CAVS prime contractor, Patria, to enable German industry to undertake design, production, and sustainment of Patria’s 6×6 APC variants, to meet Germany’s requirements as the expected replacement for the Bundeswehr’s existing Transportpanzer (TPz) Fuchs 6×6 APC fleet. At the time, however, this remained uncertain and there was still discussion about replacing Fuchs with Rheinmetall’s Fuchs A9 Evolution, though the economies of scale and the savings promised by the Patria 6×6 were swaying minds within the German MoD towards CAVS, though no orders or numbers were on the table.
On 23 February 2024, less than two weeks after the Patria-DSL-FFG partnering news, Germany’s Handelsblatt national business newspaper published a story by Roman Tyborski revealing that Rheinmetall would not play a part in CAVS, due to negotiations with Patria as to what roles different participating companies would play having broken down. The piece also noted that 90% of vehicles under CAVS would eventually be made in Germany, and repeated a rumour from defence industry circles, that Germany could order up to 1,000 Patria 6×6 vehicles to replace the Bundeswehr’s Fuchs fleet of over 800. Certainly, an order of such magnitude is exactly what the CAVS programme needs to leverage economies-of-scale advantages to the financial benefit of the programme’s members. Tyborski’s piece also indicated that first, initial vehicles for Germany would come from Patria, as has been the case with the other three CAVS member nations; this has been the way the programme has ensured speedy of delivery for initial vehicle batches, while local industrial capabilities are being prepared to take over production from Patria. For Germany, this is likely to be in the 2026/27 timeframe. [ESD approached the Bundeswehr for comment on the German order situation, but no response was received by time of going to press.]
The year ahead
At the time of writing, in December 2024, Hugo Vanbockryck told ESD that Patria’s focus during 2025 will be on continuing deliveries to Finland, Latvia and Sweden, and “maintaining strong and close collaboration with the programme’s countries, including Germany, on its activity gaining momentum”. He added, “We also expect to see new variants contracted and developed, including variants with new weapon systems. We are also proceeding with localising the production and other programme-related activities in the participating countries, to further support local footprints and ensure local industry and economy benefits, as well as security of supply.”
Vanbockryck also confirmed that, “Patria has already received orders for over 800 Patria 6×6 vehicles from Finland, Latvia and Sweden…” and the programme “…has raised a lot of interest from many countries”, concluding that, “We believe we are on the way to standardising CAVS/Patria 6×6 to be, as the programme name states, the common armoured vehicle system of European countries.”
Looking forward
The way in which the CAVS’ effort has progressed, thus far, is a fine example of a no-nonsense, collective approach to meeting an urgent requirement, rather than allowing protracted procurement policies to bog a requirement down in proverbial, defence industry mire. In that regard, CAVS is a breath of fresh air. It is also worth noting that the programme remains open to other European nations with similar equipment needs, with approval of current CAVS members.
Tim Guest
