Finland and Sweden order first Patria Trackx to replace M113 and MT-LB tracked vehicles in Arctic operations.

Finland and Sweden became the first nations to order Patria's new Trackx armored vehicle on September 30, 2026, launching pre-series acquisitions and evaluation trials. The €13 million Finnish procurement and Sweden's five-vehicle order support upcoming field tests with the Kainuu Brigade beginning in autumn 2027. This initiative aims to establish a modern, low-ground-pressure tracked platform capable of replacing aging legacy fleets like the M113 and MT-LB in challenging Arctic environments.

Weighing 15 tonnes in combat configuration, the Patria Trackx features wide 560 mm tracks and an adjustable hydropneumatic suspension to limit ground pressure to 32 kPa for superior soft-soil and snow mobility. The vehicle accommodates a crew of two and ten dismounts while delivering an 80 km/h road speed and a 500 km operational range.

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The Trackx was developed by Patria to replace aging M113s and MT-LBs with a tracked vehicle that retains the MT-LB's soft-ground mobility while carrying 12 soldiers across deep snow, swamps, and other terrain where heavier modern armored vehicles are less suitable. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

On September 30, 2026, Finland and Sweden became the first countries to order Patria's new Trackx armored vehicle, with the first vehicles due for delivery in 2027 before larger procurement decisions are made. Finland's €13 million initial acquisition will support trials with the Kainuu Brigade from autumn 2027, while Sweden ordered five vehicles for its own testing and evaluation. The Trackx weighs 15 tonnes in combat configuration, carries two crew and 10 soldiers, reaches 80 km/h and has a 500 km range, while its 560 mm tracks limit ground pressure to 32 kPa, about 41% lower than the M113. The vehicle is intended to fill roles traditionally performed by lighter tracked vehicles such as the M113 and MT-LB, rather than replace heavier infantry fighting vehicles such as the CV90.

The Finnish armored vehicle moved rather quickly from unveiling to contracts, in little more than a year. Patria unveiled the Trackx at DSEI UK in September 2025; Finland and Sweden signed their Common Arctic Mobility Implementation Arrangement on June 15, 2026, to cover pre-series procurement and potential follow-on acquisitions; and Finland, Norway and Latvia added a cooperation framework on July 7 covering trial data, further development and possible joint procurement. Sweden's five vehicles remain an evaluation fleet, while Finland has already linked its pre-series purchase to a potential serial production. Patria is expanding its production capacity at the same time and intends to begin deliveries to additional customer countries during 2027, making Finnish and Swedish trial results directly relevant to whether the Trackx expands beyond its first two buyers.

The Trackx is built around a 7.3 m long, 2.95 m wide and 2.0 m high hull carrying a driver, commander and 10 dismounts, giving an embarked strength of 12 personnel. Empty weight is 12,000 kg and maximum payload is 3,500 kg, leaving a substantial portion of vehicle mass available for personnel, ammunition, equipment and mission systems rather than armor. The engine develops 269 kW at 2,300 rpm and 1,423 Nm at 1,400 rpm, equivalent to 17.9 kW/t or 24 hp/t at 15 tonnes. The drivetrain uses Renk's HSWL 076 automatic transmission, and the architecture incorporates drive-by-wire capability, which is also being used in the uncrewed Trackx concept developed with Renk. Road speed reaches 80 km/h, operational range 500 km and swimming speed 4 km/h. The baseline APC uses a 12.7 mm machine gun, which further separates its mission from a CV90 IFV carrying an autocannon and substantially greater armor. This places it directly in the role occupied for decades by the M113 and Soviet MT-LB: a relatively light tracked carrier able to move infantry, weapons, ammunition and specialist equipment without the weight and logistical burden of a heavier IFV.

The strongest numerical difference from those two older light tracked vehicles is mobility on weak ground. The Trackx combines 560 mm tracks with a ground pressure of just 32 kPa, compared with roughly 54 kPa for an M113A3, a 41% reduction despite the Trackx being roughly 2.7 tonnes heavier. Representing another advantage on snow, mud, marshland and weak soil, the Trackx's 550 mm clearance exceeds the M113A3's by 116 mm, while trench crossing increases from roughly 1.7 to 2.0 m. The MT-LB is the more demanding comparison because its Soviet design was specifically optimized for snow, marshes and poor soil: at roughly 11.9 tonnes, with tracks about 350 mm wide in standard configuration and a ground pressure between 27 and 33 kPa depending on the variant, it established the tracked mobility model the Trackx is intended to replace. More modern, the Trackx includes wider rubber tracks, independent adjustable hydropneumatic suspension, and a nearly flat lower hull while carrying a greater payload and retaining amphibious movement.

The price of keeping the Trackx at 15 tonnes is protection. Baseline ballistic and mine protection are both STANAG 4569 Level 1, while the vehicle can swim at 4 km/h, climb a 60% gradient, cross a 2 m trench and operate between -46°C and +44°C. Those figures matter for Finland and Sweden because increasing armor mass can raise ground pressure, reduce payload margin and eventually compromise amphibious performance, precisely the characteristics that distinguish the Trackx from heavier vehicles. The 2027 trials must therefore preserve the Soviet vehicle's low-mass, amphibious and soft-ground operating concept while replacing a design dating from the 1960s with blast-attenuating seating, modern electronics, drive-by-wire controls, adjustable hydropneumatic suspension and interfaces for contemporary mission equipment. The Trackx consequently targets two major legacy fleets whose common attraction was not armor but the ability to carry personnel and equipment where heavier tracked vehicles could not operate efficiently.

That replacement logic extends beyond the APC because both the M113 and the MT-LB became chassis for large families of specialized vehicles. The standard armored personnel carrier version of the Trackx carries two crew and 10 soldiers, but the same chassis has already been adapted to several other roles: Patria has integrated its 120 mm NEMO turreted mortar, KNDS has developed a configuration using a 105 mm LG1-family artillery system, and Patria and RENK unveiled an uncrewed version at Eurosatory 2026. Serial procurement across APC, mortar, command, fire-support and uncrewed configurations could therefore replace several M113 and MT-LB derivatives while retaining one engine, transmission, track and suspension family. The logistical effect becomes significant only at scale: replacing several hundred legacy vehicles across multiple roles would reduce separate spare parts inventories, maintenance training and automotive support requirements far more than replacing APCs alone.

The remaining question is quantity. The FAMOUS program, which led to the Trackx, involved close to 20 European partners and received nearly €100 million in EU funding, but Sweden has so far committed only five evaluation vehicles and Finland €13 million for its pre-series acquisition. Finland, Sweden, Norway and Latvia now form the most immediate potential user group, with the July 7 agreement allowing Finland, Norway and Latvia to examine joint procurement after sharing development and trial results. The first orders also come while the wider FAMOUS program is moving into another development phase. In April 2026, the EU approved €79 million for FAMOUS 3, bringing that phase to a total budget of €115 million, with Finland remaining the lead country and Patria the industrial coordinator. Unlike FAMOUS 2, which produced the Trackx, FAMOUS 3 will continue work on tracked and light armored vehicles through qualification and certification, with a target of reaching up to Technology Readiness Level 8. The Trackx could therefore enter serial production from 2027 while technologies developed under the same European program continue to mature for later vehicle variants and upgrades.

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Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.