Denmark bolsters defense with Finnish armor and French missiles
Denmark has decided to acquire 130 Finnish Patria 6x6 armored personnel carriers and several hundred Mistral anti-aircraft missiles. We present the capabilities of this weaponry.
The Danish Ministry of Defense announced the signing of a contract with the Finnish company Patria for the acquisition of 130 six-wheeled armored personnel carriers for $286 million, with the first units expected to be delivered as early as 2025.
The purchase is financed from a special defense fund valued at $7.5 billion, earmarked for the years 2025-2026. Additionally, during the visit of King Frederick X of Denmark and Queen Maria to France, an agreement was concluded for several hundred Mistral 3 missiles.
Patria 6x6 - utilizing experiences from the Polish KTO Rosomak
The Patria 6x6 armored personnel carriers, first showcased at the Eurosatory trade fair in 2018, were created in response to the needs of Finland, Estonia, and Latvia for a more compact armored personnel carrier.
Although the new Patria 6x6 is structurally based on the XA model, it draws heavily from the experiences gained during the operation of the larger, eight-wheeled Patria AMV platform. This latter serves as the foundation for the highly regarded KTO Rosomak transporter used in Poland and Ukraine.
The most significant change in the Patria 6x6 model is the replacement of driver viewports with bulletproof glass, which improves visibility and facilitates driver training. While this solution offers less protection than steel armor, the transporter is designed for movement in frontline zones, not for conducting assaults.
In the context of so-called "frontline taxis," key features include protection against artillery fragments, small arms, and mines. Patria emphasizes that their vehicle is available in variants meeting the STANAG 4569 standard in class II or IV, in terms of both ballistic protection and mine resistance.
The lighter version of the transporter can withstand fire from an AK rifle using 7.62×39 mm caliber API BZ rounds from a distance of 33 yards or the explosion of a mine containing 13 pounds of TNT. Meanwhile, the heavier variant is resistant to fire from large-caliber machine guns using 14.5×114 mm B32 ammunition from 219 yards or a mine explosion containing 22 pounds of TNT.
Mistral 3 missiles - France's last line of anti-aircraft defense
Currently produced since 2019, the third version of the missile, originally developed at the end of the 1990s, is equipped with an even more sensitive IIR (Imaging Infrared) sensor that detects the infrared image of the target, along with modified algorithms that enhance effectiveness against small targets such as drones.
Moreover, other enhancements in the Mistral 3 missiles have resulted in an increased range of up to 5 miles and a maximum interception altitude of 4 miles. The missile reaches a speed of Mach 2.71 and carries a 6.6-pound fragmentation warhead. Although highly effective, using the Mistral requires setting up a light launcher.
Mistral missiles are used in over 20 countries as handheld anti-aircraft systems (MANPADS), armament for ships or land vehicles, and even helicopters.
