Some pretty eyebrow-raising news coming out recently regarding Latvia’s future IFV – the one based on the ASCOD platform from General Dynamics European Land Systems. Announced on May 30th, 2025, Finland’s Patria and General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) will be entering into a strategic collaboration to assemble and maintain ASCOD Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) at the Defence Partnership Latvia (DPL) facility in Valmiera, Latvia.
The news came out on the fifth anniversary of Patria’s operations in Latvia and the first anniversary of the Defence Partnership Latvia (DPL) armoured vehicle production facility in Valmiera. Up until this point, it was unclear where the vehicles would be built. You may recall that, on January 30th, 2025, The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Latvia awarded General Dynamics a contract for the delivery of an initial batch of 42 ASCOD Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) including logistic support.
The acquisition decision followed an international competition with extensive functional trials by the Latvian National Armed Forces. The initial contract is stated to have a value of approximately €373M.
As stated by Patria, the ASCOD IFVs will feature NATO-standard Level 4 armour, automatic cannons, anti-tank weapon systems, machine guns, and advanced battlefield technology, providing enhanced situational awareness for troops.
At the same time, the specific cannon, anti-tank systems, etc, have yet to be disclosed.
Patria adds that each vehicle will be operated by a three-person crew and can transport and deploy six fully equipped soldiers. Uģis Romanovs, Chairman of the Board at Patria Latvia and Defence Partnership Latvia, was quoted as saying:
“Our experience with the production of 6×6 armoured vehicles, combined with the transfer of technology and expertise from Patria, demonstrates our ability to handle complex and precise military vehicle manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance tasks…We are excited to begin this collaboration with Patria, a company that has proven its technological capabilities in managing complex defence industry solutions.”
It should be made clear that the Valmiera facility will be the assembly site for the future IFVs. Thus, we don’t yet know where various ASCOD components will be produced. Nonetheless, the move will contribute significantly to the growth of the local defence industry, while also supporting the broader Latvian economy.
The procurement process for these vehicles actually began in early 2023. This was followed by functional testing of various platforms later that same year. Following these tests, the National Armed Forces carried out a detailed evaluation, considering operational needs, cost, available equipment, local industry involvement, delivery schedules, and other key factors.
On the topic of delivery schedules, the first production units are expected in June 2026 and the first ASCOD IFVs are expected to be operational by autumn 2026.
It seems an odd situation – one Finnish defence firm partnering with the Spanish-headquartered offshoot of an American defense giant to produce IFVs in Latvia. But since Patria doesn’t have any tracked platforms to compete with General Dynamics Europe, there’s less of a conflict of interest. Ultimately, it simply appears to be a win-win-win situation where Latvia gets its vehicles produced faster in an already-built facility while Patria and General Dynamics benefit from revenue earned in the process.
