Patria, KOVO Armor sign MoU after Lithuania signals Patria 6x6 procurement

Patria has signed a memorandum of understanding with Lithuanian defense company KOVO Armor as it moves to establish an industrial base in Lithuania for the planned Patria 6x6 vehicle program.

The agreement follows Lithuania’s State Defence Council announcement in May that the country intends to procure 936 Patria 6x6 armored vehicles. According to Patria, the MoU with KOVO Armor is the first arrangement in what is expected to become a broader long-term Lithuanian partner network supporting technology transfer and domestic industrial participation.

Patria said the memorandum opens detailed discussions on industrial cooperation, including local manufacturing, technology transfer, and workforce development. The company also indicated that the framework is intended to cover the full lifecycle of the vehicles, including integrated logistics, spare parts, and in-country sustainment aligned with Lithuania’s procurement schedule.

For Lithuania, the planned structure would extend beyond vehicle acquisition into local support capacity and industrial involvement. Patria said the objective is to strengthen national defense-industrial capabilities, create skilled jobs, and establish a domestic support base for the fleet.

Patria’s Protected Mobility business head Jussi Järvinen said the company sees the cooperation as an initial step toward a long-term partnership with Lithuanian industry that would combine vehicle deliveries with local production and supply-chain integration. KOVO Armor CEO Agnė Rakštytė said the agreement reflects the company’s recent investments and is intended to support supply-chain security and the growth of Lithuania’s defense sector.

The Lithuanian program would also expand the footprint of Patria’s 6x6 platform within the Common Armoured Vehicle System, or CAVS, framework. Launched in 2020, the multinational program is built around the Patria 6x6 vehicle and currently includes Finland, Latvia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, and the United Kingdom, according to Patria. The company also said vehicles from the program are in operational use in Ukraine and that CAVS remains open to additional European and NATO participants with similar 6x6 requirements.

If Lithuania proceeds with the planned purchase, the program would represent one of the larger recent Patria 6x6 acquisition efforts in the Baltic region and could deepen Lithuania’s role not only as an operator, but also as an industrial participant in the wider CAVS ecosystem.