First Latvian-made armored personnel carrier handed over to armed forces

RIGA, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — The first Latvian-made armored personnel carrier (APC) was handed over to the Baltic country’s armed forces in a ceremony at a military base near Riga on Monday, the Latvian Defense Ministry announced.
The handover of the Patria 6×6 armored modular vehicle to the 3rd Latgale Brigade of the National Guard took place in the presence of Defense Minister Andris Spruds, Defense Partnership Latvia CEO Ugis Romanovs, as well as senior defense and military officials.
The ministry underlined that the full-cycle manufacture of Patria 6×6 vehicles in Latvia is a significant milestone in the development of the national defense industry.
Defense Partnership Latvia, the company manufacturing armored vehicles in the northern Latvian city of Valmiera, plans to build around 30 Patria 6×6 vehicles per year.
The production of the vehicles is part of an international cooperation program, which apart from Latvia, also involves Finland, Sweden and Germany. ■