Patria, the Finnish wheeled combat vehicle developer, announced earlier in March that has developed a new eight wheel drive armoured vehicle designed for amphibious operations.
Based on the successful AMV (Armoured Modular Vehicle) which is fielded with seven armies, the new model can now operate in Sea State 3 (wave heights of up to 1.3 metres) in open water conditions. The AMV already has dual shrouded propellers that permit it to swim at 6.4 knots (ten kilometres-per-hour) in calm waters typical of rivers and lake.
According to Patria, the AMV28A is actually a “modular kit” that focuses on optimizing buoyancy and stability afloat; critical prerequisites for open seas and surf. This new ability to negotiate the surf zone will enable the AMV28A (which stands for 28 tonne Amphibious) to be used for the ship-to-shore transit of landing forces. The AMV28A has been equipped with a Kongsberg MCT-30 remote weapon station carrying a 30mm auto-cannon and Raytheon FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missile firing capability. It is currently undergoing a battery of company field tests with current evaluations validating its cold weather capability. On completion of testing the AMV28A will be ready for production.
