Patria has won the tender for the Slovak Republic's BOV 8x8 armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) programme. Under the programme, the Finnish vehicle manufacturer will supply the Slovak Armed Forces with the Patria AMVXP 8x8 vehicles, which have been used successfully, in different versions by several EU and NATO missions and many customers from NATO and non-NATO countries

The government's decision was based on bids submitted at the end of 2021, as well as vehicle and weapon system tests carried out in February 2022. Patria says its offer was the best match to for Slovakia's requirements.

The BOV 8x8 programme in Slovakia has had many iterations dating back to 2015 when plans were announced to acquire 8x8 Scipio vehicles, which are a derivative of the Polish Rosomak armoured vehicle with a Slovak turret. However, that programme was cancelled and replaced by the Vydra vehicles, which was halted when a new government came to power in Slovakia in 2020 and launched an international competition to select a contractor for the BOV 8x8 AFV.

Through the BOV 8x8 programme Patria says it will contribute to development of the Slovak engineering and defence industry by involving Slovak industries locally in the programme. Patria will create new jobs, either directly in the partner companies or with their suppliers or subcontractors. 

“Patria is known for its successful technology transfer programmes and is fully focused on the security of supply and long-term cooperation with Slovakia,” states Hugo Vanbockryck, senior vice president for Market Area Europe at Patria.