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Ukraine is using an unknown number of Patria Pasi (also known by their old name Sisu Pasi and Finnish designation Panssari-Sisu). It is an armored personnel carrier, produced in Finland from 1984 to 2003. It is quite a well-regarded machine, offering a lot of safety to its occupants. Oh, and they can swim.
Ukraine’s 36th Mykhailo Bilynskyi Marine Brigade training with the Finnish Sisu XA-180 armored personnel carriers. Image credit: Marine Command of Ukraine via Wikimedia (CC BY 4.0)
The Sisu Pasi, as it was called back then, was originally designed in the early 1980’s for Finnish defense needs. Sisu Defence Oy was acquired by Patria in 1997 and since then this APC is called Patria Pasi or Panssari-Sisu. This 6×6 armored vehicle has several great characteristics that make it popular in peacekeeping missions as well as military operations.
First of all, the mobility of the Patria Pasi is very well regarded. Early variants, such as the XA-180 and XA-185 are fully amphibious. Ukraine is operating exactly these versions and they can swim at speeds of up to 9 km/h.
This ability is probably the reason why Patria Pasi was integrated into the Ukrainian Navy. On land, Patria Pasi can reach speeds of up to 105 km/h, while its parabolic leaf-spring suspension with hydraulic shock absorbers deals with bumps of an uneven terrain very well.
The Patria Pasi is very maneuverable because it weighs just over 13 tonnes, which is not a lot for a machine like this. The early versions, like the XA-180, weigh a tonne less.
The Patria Pasi seats 2 crew members and up to 16 passengers. The XA-185 seats 18 passengers. These machines are commonly used for medical evacuation and cargo delivery missions.
Compared to the Soviet BTR-80, which Ukrainians are very familiar with, the Patria Pasi is much roomier, more comfortable, faster, and more reliable. BTR-80 has one axle more (it’s an 8×8 and not a 6×6 like the Pasi), which should mean better off-road ability, but also 2 more tires to care about. On top of the Patria Pasi, there is a 12.7 mm machine gun.
Patria Pasi is very fast and maneuverable on land and can swim across water obstacles. Image credit: Marine Command of Ukraine via Wikimedia (CC BY 4.0)
The Patria Pasi is commonly used in peacekeeping missions, because it offers great protection from mines and improvised explosive devices. Furthermore, it doesn’t look too threatening. The UN is using a large number of Sisu XA-180 vehicles in Lebanon.
Finland reportedly donated an unknown number of XA-180/185s to Ukraine to help the country defend itself against the ongoing Russian invasion. At least one is known to be lost in the battles.
Sources: Wikipedia, Defence-ua.com.
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