Japan to Produce Patria AMV XP 8x8 Armored Vehicles Under License

Japan is set to begin domestic production of the Finnish Patria AMV XP 8x8 armored personnel carrier under a production license from the Finnish defense company Patria. This initiative involves the manufacture of several hundred AMV XP vehicles, which are intended to replace the Type-96 8x8 armored personnel carriers currently in service with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF).

The vehicles are specifically adapted for the JGSDF and will be assembled by Japan Steel Works (JSW). Teams from JSW recently completed a five-month training program at Patria's production facility in Finland, during which they assembled a prototype that has already passed final drive tests.

The collaboration between JSW and Patria has also expanded to include the potential domestic production of Patria’s NEMO 120mm turreted mortar system, as well as other variants based on the AMV XP platform.

This move toward local production of the Patria AMV XP in Japan may open the door for Israeli defense industries and technologies to enter the Japanese market. Just two weeks ago, the EuroTrophy joint venture announced a collaboration with Patria to integrate the Trophy Active Protection System (APS) into the AMV XP 8×8 APCs.

Additionally, the Slovak version of this APC can be equipped with Rafael's Spike anti-tank missile system, as well as Israeli-made loitering munitions and drones, mounted on its remote-controlled weapon station.