Patria Milrem will maintain and repair Bv 206 tracked vehicles of Latvian army.

Patria’s subsidiary Milrem LCM has signed a framework agreement for the maintenance and repair of BV206 tracked vehicles with the Logistics Command of the Latvian National Armed Forces. The agreement is valid for eight years.

BV206 all-terrain track vehicle of the Latvian Engineer Battalion (ZS 54 ITBN), in Orge, Latvia, Oct. 2, 2014. (Picture source U.S. DoD)

“We are looking forward to a close cooperation with the Latvian Armed Forces and to grow it further. We have solid know-how of partnerships with defence forces in life-cycle support services, particularly in northern Europe. And we believe that this agreement is a good basis for us to grow further in the Baltic countries”, says Ugis Romanovs, Managing Director of Milrem SIA in Latvia.

Milrem LCM is a subsidiary of Patria and a part of its International Support Partnerships business unit. Patria owns 60% of Milrem LCM and 40% is owned by Mootor Grupp. Milrem LCM provides services for the defence and security sector offering life cycle support services for heavy and armored vehicles, weapon systems and other military equipment. The company provides maintenance and repair works for the Estonian Defence Forces' XA-180, XA-188 and CV90 as well as other military vehicles in Tallinn and Võru. Milrem SIA is the Latvian subsidiary of Milrem LCM.

There are around a hundred BV206 vehicles with different configurations in Latvia. Most of the repairs are extensive, and Milrem will work in close cooperation with Patria’s Finnish subsidiary Millog, that has a solid experience of BV206 including upgrade packages.

The Bv 206 (Bandvagn 20) is a tracked articulated, all-terrain carrier vehicle developed by Hägglunds which is now part of BAE Systems Global Combat Systems. The vehicle was designed according to a request from the Swedish Army. Three batches of Bv 206 vehicles were delivered to the Swedish Army for trials in 1976, 1977 and 1978. The company was awarded a first production contract in June 1979 from the Swedish Defence Administration.

The Bv 206 consists of two tracked units linked together with a steering unit, each unit consisting of a chassis with the body mounted on four rubber elements. It can carry up to 17 people with 6 in the front vehicle, 11 in the rear vehicle. The trailer unit is mainly used as personnel carrier but it can be adapted for different uses.

The Bv 206 is motorized with a Mercedes-Benz OM 603.950 2.996 liter 6-cylinder diesel engine developing 136 hp. at 4,600 rpm. It can run at a maximum speed of 52 km/h. The Bv 206 is fully amphibious, being propelled in the water by its tracks at a maximum speed of 3 km/h.