Patria to continue life support of Estonian Sisu XA-180 and XA-188 8x8 armored vehicles.

According to information released on December 28, 2021, the Estonian Centre for Defence Investment (ECDI) and Patria renewed the Life Cycle Support Agreement for XA-180 and XA-188 fleets manufactured by Patria. The purpose of the new agreement is to support ECDI in the maintenance, repair, modifications as well as spare part supplies of the XA fleet.
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Estonian army Sisu XA-188 and XA-180 6x6 armored vehicle personnel carrier. (Picture source Estonia MoD)

The previous agreement was signed in 2013 and has been in effect from 2014 until the end of 2021. The expiring agreement was signed with the Estonian Defense Forces, whereas the new instead with ECDI. The renewed agreement is valid for the next seven years.

“Patria’s Life Cycle Support services for our products are an important part of our business. We do not only want to offer our customers top-class products, but also guarantee a cost effective and long product life cycle with tailored maintenance packages and support. We have been cooperating with Estonian Defence Forces for several years and we are pleased to continue this cooperation with ECDI for at least the next seven years to keep the XA fleets in operation”, says Jussi Järvinen, President of Patria’s Land Business Unit.

According to the Military Balance 2020, the Estonia army has 56 Sisu XA-180 and 80 Sisu XA-188. the XA-180EST is the Estonian model of XA-180. The first version was produced in 1983 and serial production began in 1984. Estonia obtained 81 vehicles of the former Dutch XA-188s in 2011 which will be included into the Estonia's 1st Infantry Brigade between 2011 and 2015. 

The XA-180 is a 6x6 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) and can accommodate up to 10 infantrymen. The XA-180 and XA-185 were originally manufactured and marketed by the Finnish company Sisu Auto but after defence products were split from Sisu and became part of Patria, the later variants were manufactured and marketed by the Finnish defence company Patria and are known as Patria XA series

The SISU XA-188 is a Finnish made six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier originally used by the Dutch army. The XA-188 is based on the wheeled armoured vehicle XA-180. It is also a wheeled armored vehicle personnel carrier. The vehicle has a crew of crew and the troop's compartment at the rear of the vehicle can accommodate 9 infantrymen.