Patria Pasi


The Patria Pasi is a Finnish-made six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier originally designed for Finnish Defence Forces. The first version was produced in 1983 and serial production began in 1984. It was designed to operate with ease of use, simple structure and low-cost maintenance. The basic appearance and configuration of Patria Pasi is similar to most wheeled APCs. The XA-180 and XA-185 versions are fully amphibious while the XA-203 is not.

Development

In 1980, Sisu produced an XA-180 prototype for Finnish Army tests. It competed against two other prototypes, but was declared the winner of the trials in 1983. On 22 December 1983 the Finnish Army ordered a first batch of fifty XA-180s, of which nine were reserved for UN duties. The vehicle proved quite successful and more orders were soon to follow.
The XA-180 was originally manufactured and marketed by the Finnish company Sisu Auto but later variants were marketed by the Finnish defence company Patria and are known as Patria XA series. The Vehicle's widely known nickname "Pasi" stems from the Finnish name "panssari-Sisu". The main superstructure is mainly manufactured from 6 to 12 mm of armour steel and the bottom is mine-strengthened, and the front windows are bullet-resistant and equipped with protective hatches. The vehicle has continuous six wheel drive and good capabilities for off-road driving. It can take inclines up to a maximum of 60°.
The XA series has no standard armament, but is equipped with a rotating turret structure for installation of light/heavy machine guns or autocannons. It also has 8 BMP style firing ports on the sides and rear. Therefore, passengers, usually a squad of infantry, can fire their weapons from the cover of the armor.
The XA series is popular in peacekeeping missions due to its mobility, non-aggressive appearance, and good protection against mines and improvised explosive devices. The vehicle also offers a good combination of armament, comfort, mine protection, protection against shrapnel and small calibre fire, road speed, short time of learning how to drive, and an acceptable terrain mobility. It also offers more internal space compared to other similar vehicles like the Fuchs or BTR-80.

Operational service

The Sisu Pasi has seen service in several conflict areas, including Afghanistan, Bosnia, Croatia, Eritrea, Golan Heights, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Macedonia, Namibia, Liberia, Somalia and Chad.
Pasis have also been used by the Finnish police in sieges and SWAT operations.
In 2018, five Estonian Pasi XA-188's were deployed to Mali as part of that country's contribution to Operation Barkhane.

Versions

;Sisu XA-180: Original six wheeler, carries crew of 2 and 16 troops. Empty weight ca 12 tonnes.
;Sisu XA-185: Upgraded version, carries crew of 2 and 18 troops. Has a more powerful engine and improved power transmission. Used as an ambulance in the Norwegian Army.
;Sisu XA-186:Upgraded armour. Armoured and equipped with machine-assisted gun turret. Cannot swim because of the heavy armour. Empty weight ca 19 tonnes. Engine and transmission same as XA-185.
;Sisu XA-188:Used by the Netherlands Army.
;Sisu XA-200: The 200 series looks a little different from older variants due to increased armour. It lacks amphibious capabilities but can wade through water that is up to 1.5 m deep. The improved armour protects the passengers against up to 14.5 mm small arms fire. It is also equipped with modern optical aids like periscopes and night vision. The armor upgrade was initiated after the realisation that the previous armor was inadequate, even modern armor-piercing 7.62 mm ammunition could pierce the older XA-180 and XA-185 models in certain areas. The XA-202 was originally developed for Communications and Command. The XA-203 was made as a temporary replacement for XA-185, and is intended to be replaced by Patria AMVs in Finnish service. The Patria AMV is an 8×8 multi-role military vehicle produced by the Finnish defence company Patria.
There are numerous sub-versions of the different main versions, e.g. armored personnel carriers, ambulance, communications, surface-to-air missile carrier, radar vehicle, headquarters, fire-fighting and anti-tank versions among others.

Operators

There are five original customers of the Pasi: Estonia, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, while a large number have been leased to other military forces of the world.

Current operators

there are also the following versions: