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6×6 amphibious armoured personnel carrier From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
| Pasi (Sisu/Patria XA series) | |
|---|---|
A Norwegian XA-185 | |
| Type | 6×6 amphibious armoured personnel carrier |
| Place of origin | Finland |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1984–present |
| Wars | Mali War Russo-Ukrainian War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Sisu-Auto |
| Manufacturer | Sisu-Auto (1984–1997) Patria (1997–2003) |
| Produced | 1984–2003 |
| No. built | 1,300 (estimate) |
| Specifications (XA-180) | |
| Mass | 13.5 tonnes (13.3 long tons; 14.9 short tons) |
| Length | 7.35 m (24.1 ft) |
| Width | 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in) |
| Height | 2.77 m (9 ft 1 in) |
| Crew | 2 (+16 passengers) |
| Armor | 6–12 mm |
Main armament | 12.7 mm NSV or M2 browning machine gun |
| Engine | XA-180: Valmet 611 DSBJA diesel XA-200: Valmet 612 DWIBIC (EURO 2), 6 in-line cylinders, turbo-charged, intercooled diesel XA-180: 236 hp (176 kW) XA-200; 271 hp (202 kW) at 2100 rpm, max torque 1080 Nm at 1600 rpm |
| Power/weight | 17.48 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | Parabolic leaf-springs with hydraulic shock absorbers |
Operational range | 850 km |
| Maximum speed | ~105 km/h on land 9 km/h in water (XA-180/185) |
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2013) |
In 1980, Sisu produced an XA-180 prototype for Finnish Army tests. It competed against two other prototypes, and was declared the winner of the trials in 1983. In December 1983, the Finnish Army ordered a first batch of fifty XA-180s. Nine were reserved for UN duties. The vehicle proved quite successful and more orders followed.
The vehicle's widely known nickname "Pasi", also a common given name of Finnish men, stems from the Finnish designation "panssari-Sisu" (English: armoured Sisu). The main superstructure is mainly manufactured from 6 to 12 mm of armoured steel. The bottom is mine-strengthened. 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 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 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 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.[1] 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.[2] By then, over 1,300 Pasis had been produced.
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 been used by the Finnish police in sieges and SWAT operations.
In 2018, Estonia deployed five XA-188s to Mali as part of Estonia's contribution to Operation Barkhane.[3]
In 2022, Finland reportedly donated an unknown number of XA-180/185s to Ukraine as part of a military and humanitarian aid package following the escalations of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.[4] At least ten have been lost in combat.[5]
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.
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.
Estonia: Estonian Army
Finland: Finnish Army, Finnish Navy, Finnish Air Force, Finnish Police. 425 XA-180s and 185s, 148 XA-200s
Also the following versions exist:
Ghana: In UN service.
Norway: Norwegian Army. 75 vehicles.
Russia: Russian Armed Forces. 1 captured from Ukrainian Army [9]
Sweden: Swedish Army. ~200 vehicles in total.
Ukraine: Ukrainian Army. Unknown number of vehicles donated during the Russo-Ukrainian war.[12][13] As of February 2024 it has been visually confirmed that 5 units have been destroyed, 2 abandoned and 1 captured by Russian forces.[14]
UN: A large number of Sisu XA-180 vehicles are used by UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon.
Austria: Austrian Army, in UNDOF service.[15]
Denmark: The Danish Army leased eleven XA-185s, including ambulance versions, for use with UN troops, 4 were used in Bosnia, 4 in Kosovo, 3 for training purpose in Denmark.[16][17]
Ireland: The Irish Army had two XA-180s, formerly as training vehicles for soldiers preparing for service in South Lebanon. Retired in 2012.
Netherlands: The Dutch Army and Netherlands Marine Corps purchased 90 XA-188s, 81 of which were later sold to Estonia.
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