Patria Pasi

The Patria Pasi (earlier known as the Sisu Pasi) is a Finnish-made six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC) originally designed for Finnish Defence Forces. The first variant 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 the Pasi is similar to most other wheeled APCs. The XA-180 and XA-185 are fully amphibious while other variants are 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 vehicle's widely known nickname "Pasi" (also a common given name of Finnish men) stems from the Finnish designation "panssari-Sisu" ( en, armoured Sisu). The main superstructure is mainly manufactured from 6 to 12 mm of armoured 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 Pasi has no standard armament, but is equipped with a rotating turret structure for eventual installations 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 Pasi is popular in peacekeeping missions due to its mobility, non-aggressive appearance, and good protection against mines and improvised explosive devices (IED). 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 APCs like the Fuchs or the BTR-80.

The early variants of the Pasi (such as the XA-180 and XA-185) were manufactured by Sisu Auto until 1997, when its defense subsidiary ''Sisu Defence Oy'' was acquired by Patria. The later variants (such as the XA-202 and XA-203) were then manufactured by Patria until 2003, when the then new Patria AMV entered serial production. By then, over 1,300 Pasis had been produced.

Operational service

The Pasi has seen service in several conflict areas, including Afghanistan, Bosnia, Croatia, Eritrea, Golan Heights, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Macedonia, Namibia, Liberia, Somalia and Chad.

The Pasi has also been used by the Finnish police in sieges and SWAT operations.

In 2018, Estonia deployed five XA-188s to Mali as part of the country's contribution to Operation Barkhane. At least one has been lost in combat.

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 ( .50 BMG). 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 Royal 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 variant was made as a temporary replacement for the earliest XA-185s, and is intended to be replaced by Patria AMVs in Finnish service.

In addition to standard variants, there are numerous sub-versions for specific missions, e.g. ambulance, command & communications, electronic warfare, air defence, radar surveillance, firefighting and anti-tank variants 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

*: Austrian Army, in UNDOF service.
*: Estonian Army
** XA-180EST, modernized variant of the XA-180
** In 2010, Estonia purchased an additional 81 units of XA-188 from the Netherlands.
*: Finnish Army, Finnish Navy, Finnish Air Force, Finnish Police. 425 XA-180s and 185s, 148 XA-200s
**XA-180, most upgraded to 185 specs, and configured with special communications equipment
**XA-181 built for Crotale NG independent air defence unit
**XA-182, equipped with Jantronic J-1000/ Giraffe Mk IV radar
**XA-185, the most common version, most of the Finnish vehicles are armed with a 12.7 mm NSV machine gun. One prototype equipped with the TOW 2 system.
**XA-202 command and signals vehicle, configured with special communications equipment
Also the following versions exist:
*
**VIPA (ViestiPasi, communication vehicle using the YVI-2, Yhtymän Viestijärjestelmä, "brigade and corps level communication system")
****ELSO (ELektroninen SOdankäynti, ELINT, electronic warfare) sub-version of VIPA.
***EPA (EsikuntaPAsi, brigade command post vehicle)
***KOPA (KOmentoPAsi, battalion command post vehicle)
***SUTI (SUojeluTIedustelu), NBC reconnaissance vehicle
***TUPA (TUlenjohtoPAsi, fire observer and artillery command post vehicle)
**XA-203, the last generation APC replacing the oldest vehicles of the XA-185 series, except for regular APCs and ambulances,
***Ambulance
**Units used by the Finnish police are on loan from the Finnish military to police special unit and used in extreme situations.
*: In UN service.
*: Norwegian Armed Forces. 75 vehicles.
**XA-185, in service with several units primarily in the ambulance configuration.
**XA-186, in service with the HMKG and Basesett 1 located at Ørland Main Air Station.
**XA-203N, in service with the 2nd Battalion.
*: Swedish Army. ~200 vehicles in total.
**''Pansarterrängbil'' XA-180/XA-185, XA-180(/185) armed with 12,7x99mm HMG. 70 vehicles delivered from 1988, mainly in UN service.
**''Pansarterrängbil 202'', XA-202S as command and control vehicles, Swedish special variant
**''Pansarterrängbil 203A'', XA-203 equipped with the turret from Pbv 302 APC's, armed with a 20 mm gun, in 7 configurations like ambulance (unarmed), AT-missile, CBRN-detection, field repairs and so forth.
**''Pansarterrängbil 203B'', the turret is replaced with the weapon-station Protector ''Nordic''.
*: Ukrainian Army. Unknown number of vehicles donated during the Russo-Ukrainian war.
*: A large number of Sisu XA-180 vehicles are used by UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon.

Former operators

*: The Danish Army leased eleven XA-185s (including ambulance versions) for use with UN troops.
*: The Irish Army had two XA-180s, formerly as training vehicles for soldiers preparing for service in South Lebanon. Retired in 2012.
*: The Dutch Army and Netherlands Marine Corps purchased 90 XA-188s, 81 of which were later sold to Estonia.
**XA-188 GVV (early 200-series variant) Used by army and marines, equipped with GPS and satcom, armament MG or .50cal
**XA-188 GWT Ambulance

Gallery

File:Pasi_Ps_675-327_Merivoimien_vuosipäivä_2014_02.JPG, A Finnish Army XA-180
File:Pasi_XA-180M_Kokonaisturvallisuus_2015_03_interior.JPG, The interior of a Finnish Army XA-180M
File:Erikoissammutusyksikkö_SM_15_1.JPG, A firefighting variant used by the Finnish Defence Forces
File:Lippujuhlanpäivän_paraati_2012_12.JPG, A Finnish Army XA-185 equipped with a 12.7 mm NSV machine gun
File:Sisu_Patria_XA-188_GVV_photo-001.JPG, A Royal Netherlands Army XA-188 ambulance transport vehicle

See also

*Patria Pasi variants
*Patria AMV
*Patria 6x6
*List of AFVs

References

External links

Danish army XA-185

{{ColdWarSwedishAFVs

Sisu vehicles
Wheeled armoured personnel carriers
Post–Cold War military vehicles of Finland
Vehicles introduced in 1983
Six-wheeled vehicles
Wheeled amphibious armoured fighting vehicles
Military vehicles introduced in the 1980s