Patria, Japan Steel Works sign deal to produce 8×8 military vehicles

The AMV XP is an extension of the AMV family. It is designed to offer greater protection, payload, and performance than the original AMV. (Patria)

Patria has signed a licensing agreement with Japan Steel Works Ltd (JSW) to produce the Finnish company's 8×8 Armoured Modular Vehicle (AMV) XP for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF).

Patria said in late August that the agreement enables local production in line with the JGSDF's Wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier (WAPC) programme.

Details about the deliveries of the locally produced AMVs were not disclosed. However, JSW said the agreement will also enable the company to provide AMV sustainment services to the JGSDF.

In December 2022 the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) selected Patria's AMV to replace the JGSDF's ageing fleet of Komatsu Type 96 8×8 APCs. Patria proposed to license-produce the AMVs in Japan, the MoD said at the time.

The MoD allocated JPY13.6 billion (USD93 million) to acquire 26 AMVs in fiscal year (FY) 2023, a spokesperson for the MoD's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) told Janes