Slovakia to purchase Finnish Patria AMV 8x8 armoured vehicles.

Slovak and Finnish Defense Ministries have signed a memorandum about the purchase of AMV 8x8 armoured vehicles for the army of Slovakia, a Slovak defense official said Friday, November 10,2017.The AMV was developed by the Finnish Company Patria in close co-operation with the Finnish Defense Force.

AMV 8x8 armoured personnel carrier manufactured by the Finnish Company Patria.

In May 2017, the Slovak government approved a request from the Slovak Ministry of Defense for the €1.2 billion procurement of 404 4x4 and 81 8x8 armoured vehicles. The first delivery of the vehicles could be started in 2018 and be completed in 2029.

The first three 8x8 armoured vehicles should be manufactured by the Finnish and the second batch of three vehicles in Slovakia, according to the Slovak Defence Ministry's Service Office general secretary Jan Holko.

At the same time the Slovak Ministry of Defense has also requested for six variants of 4x4 armoured vehicles, but the manufacturer has been not yet selected.

The first prototype of the Patria AMV was completed in 2001, and the production of the vehicle was started in 2004. The Finnish army ordered 24 AMV 8×8 vehicle fitted with AMOS 120mm advanced mortar system, that was delivered from 2006 to 2009. Another batch of 62 Patria AMV armoured personnel carrier vehicles fitted Protector remote weapon station were delivered to the Finnish army. The Patria AMV is in service with Poland, Slovenia, South Africa, Croatia, United Arab Emirates and Sweden.

The hull of the Patria AMV is of all-welded steel construction that provides the occupants with protection from small arms fire and artillery shell splinters. To this, an additional layer of passive armour can be added to provide a higher level of protection.