Defence Partnership Latvia, a company of Patria Group, plans to make 100 armored vehicles at its Patria production plant in Valmiera this year, the company's COO Vasilijs Gracovs said at a media event on May 30.

To date, over 20 armored vehicles have been produced at the production plan, which launched operations in May 2024.

Currently, the plant works in one shift, but next year it is planned to start working in two shifts, and then the capacity of the plant will increase to 150 armored vehicles per year, Gracovs said. To start working in two shifts, at least 20 more workers will need to be recruited to work directly on the assembly lines. Currently, the plant employs 54 people, including management.

Gracovs informed that currently armored vehicles are being made for the Latvian National Armed Forces (NAF) and that the production of 42 armored vehicles for Ukraine is also underway.

A demonstration of the "Patria" 6x6 armored vehicle during the 5th anniversary event of the "Patria" Group company "Defence Partnership Latvia" in Valmiera.

For the time being, there are no orders from other countries, but Gracovs told LETA news agency that talks on possible exports are taking place.

According to Gracovs, many of Patria 6x6 armored vehicles' components, including the hulls, are made in Latvia. In total, five Latvian companies supply metal parts. The Latvian-made hulls of the armored vehicles are supplied to Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Germany.

As reported, around EUR 10 million have been invested in the establishment of the Patria facility in Valmiera, of which EUR 5 million have been contributed by Valmiera Municipality and EUR 5 million by Defence Partnership Latvia.

Defence Partnership Latvia had a turnover of EUR 1.31 million and a profit of EUR 297,023 in 2023. The company was registered in 2020 and has a share capital of EUR 203 777, according to Firmas.lv.

Defence Partnership Latvia is co-owned by Patria Latvia Ltd (70.03 percent), whose sole owner is Patria ISP, registered in Finland, and Unitruck (29.97 percent), owned by Normunds Drilevskis.