The UK has entered the assessment phase of a multinational armoured vehicle programme centred on the Patria 6×6, with no procurement decision yet taken, the UK Defence Journal understands.
In a written parliamentary answer to Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, defence minister Luke Pollard said the UK joined the Common Armoured Vehicle System research and development programme in December 2025. He stated that the initiative is “a multinational programme with Finland, centred around the Patria 6×6 armoured vehicle†and confirmed that “the programme is in the assessment phaseâ€.
The Common Armoured Vehicle System programme was launched in 2020 by Finland, Estonia and Latvia to develop a shared 6×6 armoured platform, with additional European nations joining since. Sweden and Germany entered the programme in 2022, with Germany becoming a full procurement member in January 2025. Norway and the UK joined the initiative in September 2025.
The Patria 6×6, also known as the XA-300, is a wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed primarily for troop transport but configurable for a range of roles. According to the manufacturer, the platform can be fitted with optional features including amphibious capability, enhanced armour packages and a variety of weapon systems ranging from machine guns to medium-calibre turrets and a 120mm turreted mortar.
In January 2025, Babcock UK and Patria signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at supporting a potential UK Army requirement for the vehicle, signalling early industrial alignment should the programme progress. No contract has been placed, and the MOD has not confirmed fleet size, role or timelines.
The Patria 6×6 has already been ordered by several CAVS members. Latvia has procured more than 200 vehicles, with deliveries beginning in 2021, while Sweden has ordered a total of 425 vehicles under the designation Pansarterrängbil 300, with deliveries planned through to 2030. Finland has also signalled intent to acquire 160 vehicles, following delivery of pre-series platforms for testing.
One of my big hopes, this.
When Warrior came in they could not afford to use it in all roles, and FV432 remained and still does.
So who in the HELL in Andover thinks that Boxer, one of the most ruinously expensive types of APC out there, can be bought for everything?
A cheaper GOOD ENOUGH side kick is needed, such as this, that can be bought in bulk, to supplement the heavily armoured Boxers in supporting roles.
Has anyone else noted that the grandstanding over a big batch 2 ( batch 3 really ) Boxer buy has vanished? I understand it has been quietly dropped, when we used to hear of funding in place for over 1,000 vehicles.
Madness at that price, buy these as the heavy part of PM programme.
Stop GOLD PLATING, buy what is good enough in the numbers needed.
The Patria has been combat proven in Ukraine aswell so shouldn’t be too long an assessment.
In theory anyway.
Agreed. Germany is buying 876 Patria 6X6 CAVS in various configurations.
Your second paragraph Daniele, Yes I have. Theoretically delayed but no date given. I don’t know if the Patria ir right. I am not really an army man but given that we are assessing it I assume we are talking about the 2040’s anyway !!
It’s perfect,basically (sapper head on)an armoured taxi for Engr sects etc which are/were using 432s.currently RE are using protected mobility platforms for the Field regts this would fit the bill perfectly as a sect wagon🤞
Just for info mate, I also have a FOIA which I found which confirms that 22 and 26 will be amongst the Regiments due to receive the Boxer. So your boys should end up using both.
Yes so you said mate,BUT this a bit disingenuous it implies that the field regts do not go anywhere near the front lines so don’t need the same protection as Armoured Sqns! I’m sure if you said any of those infantry BGs will not fight on the FEBA they are going to be a bit upset!
Agreed. Outside the CS Sqns of the Armoured Engineer Regiments I’m not sure what vehicles the other Field Sqns use though? Mastiff?
Not many Field Sqns left to be fair, with 21 RE, and 23 RE, who support the Airborne, left, as so much of the Corps is assigned to EOD, CBRN, Air Support, General Support, the RM, Infra, and 42 Geo.
Thanks Jacko. I’ve had a look at Patria since posting and it does look like a good peice of kit, affordable and proven so probably not for us when we can spand ten years thinking about it. Only half joking. Tha family available would fill a lot of holes.
I agree, 6×6 from patria is great and it’s about 20% of the cost of Boxer. In an age of drones and top attack missiles realistically all armoured vehicles are just good enough, spending, £5 million + on an armoured vehicle for general roles is insane.
Image what the army could be like now if it’s had not pissed away so much money on FRES and to have Boxer fill the FRES UV concept is nuts. Patria 6×6 is much closer aligned with what FRES UV was suppose to be at an affordable price and built locally by Babcock who are the only people in the UK at the moment with a track record of delivery of armoured vehicles.
The British army should just use UOR to procure vehicles because it’s s**t at development programmes and they rarely produce anything worth having. Land vehicles in general are much quicker to procure and lend themselves well to the UOR program.
Indeed if it hadn’t been for the UOR programs the British Army would have almost no vehicles.
I have to say, I agree mate!
Foxhound, Jackal, some of the Mastiff and Ridgebacks, all brought into core.
I agree with everything above. I really hope they also procure this to replace Stormer for SHORAD with an appropriate turret.
Happy new year Daniele, fully agree with this.
Boxer makes sense as an IFV with a turret on, as an SPG in the form of RCH155, and maybe that Brimstone one and some others. Essentially anything where the armour or size is a requirement. Anything else, including ambulance, mortar carrier, even a lighter IFV, should be Patria.
Hopefully the assessment will move to procurement quickly.
Hi Joe.
And to you mate.
I mean they’ve joined the programme and Germany are already ordering.
Wish they could avoid committees and assessing for once.
Just get on with it!
Makes you wonder it’s only because Germany are ordering loads which shows they don’t see a Boxer only platform practical or cost effective, that we are belatedly considering this mix. Be nice if we headed the decision making rather than merely trailing ‘me too’ laggards. Bad enough having all these retired types expensively filling committees costing us a fortune in Brandy and cigars, but when we still never get timely decisions or often decisions at all it really is rock salt in the wounds. Read this morning that even the latest industrial GCAP tri national contract due in December was delayed due to delays in the uk’s defence industrial plan. This is becoming akin to a butterfly flapping its wings in South America ending up having eternal delaying effects in uk defence. Never mind, at least the Govt is accelerating the filling of potholes.
Agree . If Patria is good enough for Germany and Northern European Nations , in service and being built off production lines, then the UK should probably stop dithering and buy a sensible vehicle for a change . The Boxer modularity is probably slightly exaggerated . A Boxer Apc or IFV will probably stay that way in time of war., and a Patria APC is very similar to a Patria Mortor launcher on basic chassis and vehicle components. Where i think the Boxer can excel is using the Chassis for continuous modernisation and Niche options such as Artillery , Missile launchers for Land an Air , Elecy
Tronics , Drone station .Basically all sorts of stuff that people can think of that uk is currently lacking .
Yep just get 1500 of these. Use the 600 boxers for a wheeled heavy Mec brigade. Then all the army needs to do is sort out its armoured cavalry vehicle, find 500 IFVs and build 240 challenger 3s and finally order 80+ 155mm self propelled gun systems.
Easy really France can manage it…
I thought Boxer was going to be our APC?
It’s more likely to be our IFV and SPG now. Far too expensive for APC role.
Yeah, Boxer is a highly expensive APC/battlefield taxi, it’s not an AIFV.
A lot of the Boxers on order are basically replacing the FV430 Bulldon in the armoured battlefield support vehicle (ABSV) role – field engineer truck, mortar carrier ambulance, etc. Which poses the question: what role would the Patrias play? Maybe low-level air defence and counter UAVs (LLAD/C-UAV), but that is a pretty small number needed.
So I wonder if the Patrias would be intended for 3 Division or is the aim to put them in and 7 Infantry Bdes? At up to 20 tonnes, they sound the right kind of replacements for the Medium Protected Mobility role, currently fulfilled by Mastiff, Wolfhound and Ridgeback.
Whatever the army wants and needs, the MOD civvies, accountants and hapless D&ES have a bad habit of taking away a spec for a horse and coming up with a camel, as it were.
I recon Patria will probably be a support vehicle in 4 and 7 primarily, and then fill any gaps that aren’t filled by the current Boxer orders.
They quietly removed the Medium mobility requirement and kept the heavy, so that’s probably the Patria.
Are you sure Sam? The last I read , it was the other way round, they had dropped the heavy mobility vehicle.and kept the medium one.
That kind of made sense to me. Given the Medium is in the 15-20 tonnes class, it would look like the obvious replacement for Mastiff, Wolfhound and Ridgrback.
If we set out to design a heavy protected mobility vehicle, we would end up with something that looked awfully like Boxer in weight, armour protection and probably lack of cannon.
Basically, I think Boxer IS our heavy protected vehicle – albeit one that is too heavy and miles too expensive.
Yes I’m sure mate. You can look up on both Shepherd Media and Jane’s.
Assessment Phase, No procurement decision !
Please insert this into every statement made by any Defence Minister about anything !
RCH 155 didn’t have a assesment, Sunak simply said “buy it” and everyone was howling…
Yes and now we just bought two for assessment.
Last government was big on announcements short on action.
I’ll believe it when they’re parked at larkhill with RATDU crawling over them
This has to be one of the most logical and safest purchases the MoD could make. They’re cheap, simple, reliable and capable, we couldn’t possibly afford to field an all Boxer force, especially if we wanted reserves in the case of a conflict requiring an increase in personnel. There’s also remote weapon stations and applique armour for light IFV duties, and of course the 120mm mortar. It’s a no brainer.
It can be upgrade to Stanag 4 too. Agree with everything you say. As well as excellent interoperability with many close allies.
Armor is paper thin. Clearly inadaquate for any fighting role.
Capable of being upgraded?doesn’t seem to bother the nations using them.
It can. To Stanag 4. And it’s essentially replacing Bulldog as a box on wheels initially.
Just looked up the profile of Ben Obese-Jecty, seems his time as an Officer in the Duke of Wellingtons Regt has given him an insight into the way the Army works. Hopefully at sometime in this Parliament and the next he will have a role with the MOD. It is always good to have an MP has experience in a role that reflects their appointment with either the Government or Shadow.
Look forward to seeing more of him in the future.
Please don’t nick Ben from us in his constituency’. At long last we have an MP who seems “interested”!
Are these Electric ?
Is this for the role Dingo was being looked at for or what is this to replace?
God forbid that an actual ‘procurement decision’ be taken by the UK!! Another few years of testing, assesment and analysis is in order, surely!
This Patria 6×6 looks like a near relative of the ol’ Alvis Stalwart.
My best guess is it will replace the Mastiff, Wolfhound and Ridgrback vehicles in the Medium Protected Mobility role, i.e. a 15–20 tonne class vehicle. So issued to 4th and 7th Infantry Brigade Groups.
It could replace Bulldog in the Armoured Battlefield Support Vehicle (ABSV) role in 3 Division, except that there are Boxers ordered to fulfill most of the roles, like mortar carrier, ambulance etc.
So I think Dern is right in saying that it could take on the roles Boxer isn’t planned for, such as a LLAD vehicle to replace Stormer.