Speaking of Slovakia’s first Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) in front of media representatives, Slovak Defence Minister Martin Sklenár said: “This is a truly historic moment for our Armed Forces as these vehicles will give our forces a vital capability.“ As he reminded us, the Patria 8×8 AMV XP is among the most advanced vehicles of its kind and meets the highest standards and requirements in this class of armoured fighting vehicles.
The first vehicle manufactured for the Slovak Armed Forces is the Patria Ambulance (AMB) variant, which, following its finalisation and trials, will be the first to be accepted into service with the Slovak Army in 2024.
Despite the impact of the current situation in Ukraine on the delivery schedules for a large number of components used in the vehicle, the latest vehicle has been produced in the past 13 months since the signing of the contract documents in August 2022, Minister Sklenár pointed out.
A total of 76 Patria 8×8 AMV XP vehicles are expected to be delivered by 2027 in the following variants and numbers: 60 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV), 10 Ambulances (AMB), and 6 Command Post (CP) vehicles.
The finalisation of all Patria 8×8 AMV XPs, including the one presented at the MOD today, will be carried out in Slovakia, given that the supplier is expected to achieve Slovak defence industrial involvement in the project at the level of at least 40%. This was one of the basic requirements in the terms and conditions of the contract for a replacement IFV vehicle put by the Slovak MOD out to international competition in 2021.
Alongside this, Patria Land Ltd’s plan to move the production of some vehicle components to Slovakia is up and running. The transfer of production capacity to Slovakia will be managed by CSM Industry JSC. To get the necessary know-how, the company is already involved in the production of the first vehicles in Finland.
On SVK defence industry content in the project, Slovak Deputy Defence Minister Marian Majer said it is important that the Slovak defence firms involved in the production of the vehicles will become part of the extensive supply chain for Patria. “In practice, it is envisaged that the Slovak defence industry will participate in the projects contracted by the Finnish company. So, the Slovak Armed Forces Patria 8×8 AMV XP programme is a milestone in terms of both delivering defence capabilities and strengthening our defence industryʼs production capacity,” he said.
On the newest armoured vehicle capability, Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko said: “In the Armed Forces, we consider this vehicle to be very special as some of its design elements are unique on the market. These new armoured fighting vehicles based on the 8×8 platform will replace our BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, which are hopelessly outdated.“
As Director General of the MOD Modernisation Branch and National Armaments Director Michal Homza noted, this Patria Ambulance variant will be on display by Patria Land Ltd at IDEB Bratislava at the Incheba Exhibition & Conference Centre on 3-5 October 2023, before being transferred to Slova defence firms, including to Konstrukta Defence and Aliter Technologies, for its finalisation.
