Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we have been continuously talking about Europe’s need to become more independent in order to produce and supply its own armies. As military analysts say, the advantage of the USA is that they have one army command and their own arsenal of weapons. While the economy in the European Union is fragmented – 27 separate armies and almost every large country has its own different armaments – 30 types of tanks, 20 types of aircraft. More than 170 different weapon themes. We in Europe spend a lot of money on armaments, but the capabilities we get are not commensurate with what we spend. Therefore, the key word is cooperation. As, for example, the Finnish armored vehicle PATRIA project, the construction of which has already involved several countries. From this month, part of PATRIA will be completely produced in Latvia. As we have found out – they cannot be registered with us, as this is not provided for in the law at all, reports “Neka personala”.
Unlike Lithuania and Estonia, during the thirty years of restored independence, the transport base of the Latvian army was not supplemented with modern new equipment for moving soldiers. We had settled with used or old vehicles given by our partners.
At the beginning of 2020, the ministries of defense of Latvia and Finland agreed that they will develop a new system of armored vehicles, which would be based on the “6×6” car base produced by the Finnish company “Patria”.
The “Patria” company began producing six-wheeled armored personnel carriers in the eighties of the last century. It is relatively simple and that is why it is also called a battlefield taxi.
At the beginning, it was thought that Estonia was also involved in the project, but the Estonians withdrew from it. Sweden and Germany have joined in their place. Soon the company came out with the improved version of the machine PATRIA XA-300, the creation of which also involved Latvian businessmen. The new armored vehicle weighs up to 22 tons, is able to drive not only on land, but also swim on water, crossing rivers and lakes. Able to overcome trenches up to 1 m wide, transport 10 soldiers in full equipment. For self-defense, a rotating machine gun platform with machine gunner’s protective armor is placed on the roof.
When concluding the contract with the Finns, Latvia insisted that a part of the production should take place in us in order to increase the security of defense supplies and give an incentive to the development of the local defense industry. The first cars were delivered to the Latvian army for testing already in 2021. Most of them were assembled in Finland, in Latvia they were equipped only with individual parts.
In the near future, it is planned that the company “EMJ Metāls” and five other companies, which bought additional equipment and trained employees in recent years, will actually start full-scale production of PATRIA armored vehicles in Latvia. Engines and several other complex equipment will still be made in the Finnish factory, but the frame, body and armor will be produced and assembled here.
UGIS ROMANOVS
Chairman of the Board of PATRIA Latvia
Until now, in Latvia, we carried out partial assembly, and we carried out this assembly on already tested machines. Starting this month, we start full-cycle production in Latvia. Consequently, we are discovering new challenges that have not been foreseen so far.
The challenges faced by Patria Latvia were publicly discussed for the first time last Tuesday in the Saeima. There, several companies from the defense industry had come to the first meeting of a specially created subcommittee for the development of the innovation ecosystem of the Saeima. Several of them harshly criticized the Ministry of Defense, that it lacks a strategic vision, that there is no active leadership from the Minister of Defense, that there is not enough money for innovations to develop new products. And the Patria project is also in jeopardy due to unsettled laws.
Session of the Innovation Ecosystem Development Subcommittee of the Saeima
April 23
JURIS BINDE
President of LMT
Hello, Juris Binde, Vice President of Latvian Defense Industry and President of LMT. The Ministry of Defense cited PATRIA as a positive success story. In fact, PATRIA’s success story is tied to large millstones at PATRIA’s feet. Because PATRIA cannot actually submit its products to tests. Because in the tests, it is planned that in order to accept this machine for armament, she must drive 200 kilometers on public roads. Only a car that has received a CSDD registration number can drive on public roads, but CSDD does not register vehicles that have not passed compliance tests. Thus, the circle is closed and PATRIA is stored in the parking lot.
Patria Latvia assures that the problem is indeed as it was stated in the Saeima commission. Previously, practically ready-made machines were delivered to the workshop in Cēsis from Finland. But they were missing some parts – communication systems, seats and others in total 250. It takes an average of 1000 hours to complete one PATRIA car. Until now, the Latvian side’s contribution to the scope of work was 150-200 hours. During the last years, 6 local companies involved in the project have prepared equipment to such an extent that all 1000 hours for the production of armored vehicles will take place in Latvia – they will be built from scratch. And as completely new transport units, each of them needs to be tested. Both off-road and after driving 200 kilometers on public roads. Only now has it been revealed that these cars built entirely in Latvia will not be able to be registered.
UGIS ROMANOVS
Chairman of the Board of PATRIA Latvia
We constantly find some nuances that are not provided for in regulatory documents in Latvia. One of them is how to participate in road traffic with a vehicle that has not yet been formally put into service. When the manufacturer has issued a certificate of operation for the machine, only then may the machine be registered. And when she is registered, she can participate in road traffic. In our case, we need to do this public road testing before we can issue a certificate. Well, here we are – we find ourselves in such a situation that we really don’t get to testing and the army won’t get to the machines. Such a vicious circle occurs – the car cannot be registered because the certificate has not been issued, the certificate cannot be obtained because the car has not been tested.
The Directorate of Road Traffic Safety learned about this problem at the beginning of this year. It turned out that the army vehicle register, which monitors and services the mechanized equipment of the military, cannot assign the VIN code required in this procedure, or what is popularly called the “chassis” number.
MARTIN MALMEISTER
Deputy head of CSDD’s Communication Department
No other institution, except CSDD, has developed such specific procedures for assigning these identification numbers. And after meeting with the representatives of the manufacturers here in person, this issue was discussed. And CSDD made it possible to assign these identification numbers to the relevant vehicles.
Defense Ministry response Nothing personal:
The defense industry has received a request from SIA “Defence Partnership Latvia” to find a solution to the issue of testing “Patria 6×6” vehicles before they are handed over to the National Armed Forces. The solution is necessary because the current regulatory framework of Latvia does not determine issues related to the full-cycle production of serial vehicles.
The representatives of the defense industry have met with SIA “Defence Partnership Latvia” and will advance the necessary amendments to the regulatory acts.
The head of Patria diplomatically does not criticize the Ministry of Defense and hopes that the problems with car registration will be resolved. How quickly the armored vehicles will be received by the Latvian Army and the National Guard depends on this.
UGIS ROMANOVS
Chairman of the Board of PATRIA Latvia
But at what point and who noticed that our legislation is designed in such a way that it is impossible to do this.
We noticed it. We looked, we went through all the steps that have to be done to get to the finished product. Then we discover this and all other nuances. Surely more will be revealed over time. But so far the support from the Ministry of Defense has been very positive. Because I don’t think there will be any catch.
The Ministry of Defense claims that despite the need to amend the regulations, the delivery schedule of the “Patria 6×6” armored vehicles has not been affected.
