On October 7, at the Valmiera Industrial and Export Park, Latvia’s National Armed Forces celebrated the delivery of the first completed HUNTER infantry fighting vehicle (MEDNIEKS in Latvian) and the groundbreaking for the new Patria manufacturing plant.
The HUNTER IFV, produced by General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS), uses an ASCOD vehicle base mated to a remotely operated Elbit UT30MK2 turret. The program for the acquisition of the new IFV started less than 2 years ago: the selection of GDELS for the supply of an initial 42 ASCOD hulls, for €373 million, was announced at the end of January 2025.
The program subsequently doubled in size, and now 84 HUNTERs overall are due for delivery to Latvia by 2029.
In May 2025, Patria and GDELS-Santa Barbara Sistemas concluded the agreement for the assembly and maintenance of the HUNTERs in Valmiera. Patria already has an established presence in the city thanks to Defence Partnership Latvia (DPL), a joint venture owned by Patria Latvia (70%) and the Latvian company Unitruck (30%), established specifically to produce, market, sell and provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, initially for the Patria 6x6 APC. DPL represents a cluster of 6 Latvian companies currently involved in Patria 6x6 vehicle production. The HUNTER IFV project has expanded the industrial scope of DPL as a whole.
The new military vehicle production facility will significantly expand local defense manufacturing capacity beyond the current production of 6x6 armored personnel carriers. The facility will assemble and maintain the HUNTER IFVs, deliver full lifecycle support for both vehicle families and support future capability programs.
The new facility is located near the existing DPL site and will act as its direct expansion. Completion is scheduled for the third quarter of 2027.
As for the MEDNIEKS IFV, it represents a step change in the capabilities of the Latvian Mechanized Infantry Brigade, bringing superior protection and firepower compared with the current APCs. The UT30MK2 turret is armed with a Mk-44 BUSHMASTER II 30x173 mm cannon and SPIKE LR2 anti-tank missiles.
The MEDNIEKS is also helping to advance cooperation between the Armed Forces and industry, as shown by recent counter-UAS capability demonstrations supported by GDELS with a HUNTER hull and UGVs, before the hull had even received its intended turret.
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