Finnish defence and aerospace company Patria is considering manufacturing armoured vehicles in Lithuania with the involvement of around 20 local partner companies, according to the business news portal Verslo Žinios.
The company’s executive vice-president, Jussi Järvinen, said Patria aimed to produce as many of the vehicles ordered by Lithuania as possible within the country, although delivery timelines would affect where initial production takes place.
“We have the same goal as Lithuania - to produce as much as possible locally,” Järvinen told the newspaper. He said vehicles due for delivery as early as next year would probably need to be built abroad, depending on how quickly contracts are signed and agreements reached with Lithuanian industry partners.
Järvinen said Patria’s long-term business model focused on localising production.
The company has not yet decided whether it would build a new factory in Lithuania or use existing local industrial facilities.
“If we have the opportunity to use existing production capacity and it does not require major investment to adapt it for armoured vehicle production, then the question arises whether a new factory is necessary,” he said, adding that both options currently remain equally likely.
Patria currently manufactures armoured vehicles at a plant in Valmiera, Latvia.
Lithuania plans to acquire 300 Patria armoured vehicles by 2030 to replace its ageing M113 tracked personnel carriers. In total, the country intends to purchase 936 vehicles.
President Gitanas Nausėda has said one of Lithuania’s requirements is that part of the production should take place domestically.
Lithuania’s defence budget this year stands at around 4.8 billion euros, equivalent to 5.38% of gross domestic product.
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