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Patria has presented a new self-propelled artillery system built for mobile coastal defence, unveiling the ARVE prototype during its Arctic Event in Lapland this week.
The ARVE mounts Patria’s 155GH52 155 mm towed gun-howitzer onto a Sisu E13TP 8×8 all-terrain truck. The system is aimed at meeting potential requirements from the Finnish Navy as it prepares to replace ageing fixed artillery positions along the coast with a mobile solution.
Finland’s coastal artillery arm previously relied on towed Soviet 152 mm howitzers and later 130 mm M-46 field guns. These systems were retired when the mobile coastal artillery arm was disbanded in the mid-2000s. Fixed 130 mm installations remain, but the Navy has signalled interest in replacing them with mobile systems using NATO-standard ammunition.
The ARVE uses a 52-calibre barrel and achieves a maximum range of 40 km with standard rounds. It fires three rounds in the first 15 seconds, has a maximum rate of eight rounds per minute, and a sustained rate of two rounds per minute. The elevation angle spans from -3° to +60°, and the firing arc in indirect mode ranges from -90° to +50°. The gun is operated manually, including reloading and laying.
The system carries 24 rounds of complete ammunition. Rounds are stored in external boxes mounted along the truck. A spade is lowered at the rear before firing to absorb recoil. From halt, it takes around 90 seconds to fire the first round. After completing a fire mission, the vehicle departs in 45 seconds.
The ARVE is powered by a 500 hp engine and has a top road speed of over 100 km/h. Its maximum combat mass is under 28 tonnes. The 11.5-metre-long truck carries 400 litres of fuel and has a range of over 600 km. It can ford water obstacles up to one metre deep and climb gradients of 30°.
The platform and gun already existed separately before being integrated over the past year. Patria engineers designed the necessary interface, laying system, recoil spade, and ammunition storage.
Jukka Holkeri, Executive Vice President of Patria’s Global Division, said, “This concept has been around for quite some time, we never publicised it, but it was there, both the truck and the gun were there.”
Patria developed the ARVE prototype independently. No formal request for such a system has been issued by the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF), but Patria expects interest. The company noted that artillery’s importance has grown in modern warfare and that vulnerability to drones and other precision-guided threats requires faster shoot-and-scoot capabilities.
Holkeri confirmed the company’s readiness to meet potential demands, either by adapting existing guns or producing new ones. “Both solutions are feasible,” he said.
Patria last produced new guns over 20 years ago. Despite this, a company representative said, “We’ve got all the needed capabilities. While we haven’t produced new guns for a while, we have been producing spare parts worth millions of euros during the last decade. And this includes all critical components.”
That includes gun barrels, among the most technically demanding parts. Patria maintains capacity to produce these components, which would allow it to build ARVE units without needing to divert existing Army systems.
Patria also plans enhancements to the prototype. Future iterations could include servo-controlled gun laying, an improved fire-control system, and semi-automatic or automatic loading. These upgrades would be particularly relevant in coastal defence scenarios where targets are in motion.
While ARVE currently relies on manual operations, Patria is investigating an automatic laying system connected to a weapon terminal and ballistic calculator. An automatic loader is also under consideration.
The ARVE system is intended to be robust and affordable. Past Finnish acquisitions have prioritised these factors, especially for reservist-heavy forces. In comparison to potential alternatives such as the BAE Archer, Elbit Atmos, KNDS CAESAR, and ZUZANA 2, the ARVE’s performance is more modest but aligns with traditional Finnish procurement approaches.
Patria currently supplies all towed 155 mm guns used by the Finnish Defence Forces except the newer South Korean K9 Moukari self-propelled tracked systems. Patria believes this legacy positions it strongly for future contracts.
The prototype has completed initial integration. Next steps include mobility testing and first live-fire trials, all of which will be conducted at the industry level.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
