See the Rugged Armored APC That NATO Allies Are Buying for Arctic War

Alarms sound on the factory floor and work stops at the Patria plant in Hämeenlinna.

The quiet sound of an explosion echoes across the campus. Moments later, about 700 workers continue to assemble their armored vehicles, heading to Japan, Sweden, Slovakia and other countries. The explosion is not a test launch of a new combat vehicle, but part of the construction of an expanding production plant.

Patria, Finland's largest defense company, plans to nearly double production at its main hub north of Helsinki, clearing rocks with explosives on site to make way for several new assembly lines.

The Hämeenlinna plant produces the Patria 8×8 armored personnel carrier and a relatively new promising vehicle: the 6×6 wheeled military transport, which is in growing demand from Northern and Western Europe.

Work on the 17-ton, 25-foot-long vehicle began in 2020 as part of a joint program between Finland and Latvia called the Common Armored Vehicles System. Both countries strived for cost-effective and mass production. armored car which could be used by their armed forces to ensure interoperability.

Since then, Latvia has sent at least 42 of these vehicles to Ukraine, armed with heavy machine guns and exported in batches over the past year. The vehicle can cross tundra and even rivers, protecting up to 10 troops from mines and artillery fire and transferring them to forward positions.

When Business Insider visited the Patria plant, representatives of the company, which is majority owned by the Finnish state, said the firm was not authorized to disclose details about the 6×6 SUVs. performance in Ukraine.

But the CAVS 6×6 program quickly attracted the attention of the rest of Europe: what began as a partnership between two countries expanded to a consortium of seven member states.

Sweden joined the Common Armored Vehicles System program in 2022, followed by Germany, Denmark, the UK and Norway in subsequent years.

Finland and Latvia have placed orders for just under 500 of these vehicles, while Sweden has requested delivery of 415 6×6 four-wheel drive vehicles over the next five years. Stockholm's latest order for 94 vehicles, announced in early December, cost approximately $1.75 million each.

Germany has become the program's largest buyer, signing contracts in mid-December for 876 6×6 vehicles worth $2.3 billion. These vehicles will be divided into four variants, including a variant with a mortar turret.

Meanwhile, Denmark which joined the program this year, has already placed an order for 129 6×6 vehicles.

The UK and Norway are still in talks with Patria to order 6×6 SUVs.

Inside CAVS 6×6

The CAVS 6×6 can accommodate approximately 10 troops along with a typical crew of two or three and has armor up to NATO standard Level 4, designed to withstand direct hits from heavy machine guns, mine explosions and nearby artillery explosions.

The CAVS 6×6 competes with other wheeled vehicles such as Rheinmetall's Boxer and Stryker General Dynamics Land Systemsthe latter of which is widely used by the US Army.

The Finnish company said it can customize the car to suit each customer's needs, but the typical model comes with climate control that allows the car to operate in temperatures as low as -40°F.

“It will be comfortable enough inside that you can easily survive. We're talking about plus Celsius temperatures,” Mikko Rantanen, Patria's director of 6×6 vehicle programs, told Business Insider from the rear compartment of one of the vehicles.

The 6×6's rear cabin is spartan, with fabric-covered metal-framed seats with headrests for five on each side, and storage for equipment and small arms behind each seat.

There is enough space for the soldier to sit with his knees touching the passenger opposite. Several fire extinguishers inside are connected to an automatic fire extinguishing system that can detect a fire in the rear of the cabin.

The screens allow troops to see outside the vehicle through external cameras, and the rear hatch provides the ability to mount a machine gun or manned weapons pod on top of the 6×6 all-terrain vehicle.

On the right side of the vehicle, a small passage also allows military personnel to pass between the rear compartment and the driver's cabin, which resembles a truck cabin and is equipped with an automatic transmission.

Additional propellers on the underside of the 6×6 allow it to seamlessly transition from driving on land to crossing small bodies of water such as rivers or lakes.

“In this configuration, we can enter the water without the need for preparation,” Rantanen said.

However, the 6×6's speed in water is just under 5 mph, and Rantanen added that it is not intended to be used as an amphibious assault ship or landing vehicle.

On land, it is capable of traveling at speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour, easily crossing trenches four feet wide, and climbing over obstacles about two feet high.

Fast movement in the Arctic

The production of weapons and vehicles specifically for the Arctic region is the specialization of Finnish contractors. country known for holding off the Soviet Union for more than 100 days in deep snow and dense forest during World War II.

Patria said that while the 6×6 can be equipped for a variety of terrain types, including desert, the arctic is its forte.

Snow is not the only problem in Arctic warfare. Finland's border with Russia (NATO's top threat) has few roads, and its vast hinterland is dotted with thousands of small lakes and swamps that can trap armored vehicles.

“It snows in the winter,” said Petri Hepola, Patria’s executive vice president of sales and marketing and chief program officer for the F-35. “In summer there is a lot of wet soil and marshy areas. One of the most important features is how quickly you can move your troops and tools around these locations.”

Finland and Norway are the only two participants in the Patria 6×6 program that border Russia in the Arctic.

However, as Northern Europe, especially the Baltic and Nordic countries, becomes increasingly concerned about the conflict with Moscow, the Kremlin is strengthening its military presence in the High North, repopulating key bases and transforming its Arctic fleet into a separate strategic theater.

WITH Finland joined NATO In 2023, alliance forces are rushing to train in the country and in low temperatures, making it one of the most active areas for joint activities in recent years.

“Our products survive very well in this environment,” Hepola said.

Getting ready for 2027

With an order backlog of almost 2,000 6×6 vehicles, Patria hopes its new plant in Hämeenlinna will be ready for production by 2027. The factory campus only handles the final part of the entire production cycle, which in most cases can take weeks or several months for more complex options.

Inside, hundreds of workers perform welding, surface treatment, assembly, testing and other final processes, each of which can take several weeks. Dozens of cars line the factory floors, and dozens more sit in parking lots, each marked with a flag denoting the country for which it was modified.

Each must have been driven for at least 200 km or 124 miles before delivery.

Rantanen, the 6×6 program director, said Patria will integrate counter-drone systems, such as jammers, into the vehicle.

Armored vehicles in Ukraine particularly struggled with ubiquitous minefields and small drones with explosive payloads, some of which are controlled via a fiber optic cable connection that cannot be blocked. In response, soldiers there began to rely more on firearms such as shotguns and machine guns to counter such attacks.

Rantanen said Patria has not yet officially added any kinetic weapons capable of destroying drones to its arsenal.

“The drone threat is currently evolving at such a rate that it is difficult to keep a close eye on it,” he said. “But we are also working hard on counter-drone measures.”