The European FAMOUS vehicle programme, led by Finland and Patria, has proceeded to the concept stage. The technologies and concept performance of the future solution can be tested in practice.
Improving the mobility and performance of land troops is a major priority in the long-term development of defence in the EU countries. To meet these needs, the joint European Future Highly Mobile Augmented Armoured Systems (FAMOUS) programne is developing the technologies, performance and ground combat capabilities of future armoured vehicles.
The FAMOUS programme consists of a study phase (EDIDP FAMOUS project) and development phase (EDF FAMOUS2 project). Finland MoD acts as Member States project manager, with Patria serving as its industrial coordinator. Nine European states and around 35 companies are working in the FAMOUS2 project.
A high-performance vehicle for demanding conditions
The vehicle solution that Patria is developing in the FAMOUS programme, is a high-performance platform intended especially for extreme climates and geographical environments, says Juha Lähteenmäki, Technology Director of Patria’s Protected Mobility and Defence Systems product and service line.
In Finland, FAMOUS focuses particularly on the Arctic mobility program of the Finnish Army, which seeks a replacement vehicle solution for ageing and decommissioning tracked vehicles.“The technologies developed in this wide-ranging program are related to aspects such as vehicle mobility, powertrain, energy reserves, survivability and protection, situational awareness, autonomous operations, weapons system development and life cycle management” Lähteenmäki says.
For example, the vehicle solution under development is expected to have excellent tactical and operational mobility. Attention is also being paid to its costs, manufacturability, digital functionalities and maintenance throughout its life cycle.
The programme has progressed to the concept manufacturing phase
The first phase of the FAMOUS programme began in December 2021 and lasted two years. “The first phase was a success. We achieved the set goals in the planned schedule and budget,” says Lähteenmäki.
The first phase of the FAMOUS programme focused on research and studies assessing the needs and requirements of the member states; based on them, it reviewed potential vehicle and system concepts and feasible architectures, says Matti Vuori, PMO Project Director at Patria.
“Among other factors, we assessed the performance potential, costs, complexity and especially the mobility of the concepts. Based on the results of the first-phase feasibility studies, the target vehicle concept was confirmed. Following more detailed architectural design and requirement specification, this concept will proceed to design, prototyping and testing.”
This will be carried out in the FAMOUS2 project, which will run until 2026.
In addition, Patria is responsible for work packages involving hybrid powertrain and energy management development.
“The project also harnesses Patria’s strong expertise in system integrations — it will integrate the systems of FAMOUS2 partners,” says Vuori.
Patria leads and coordinates the FAMOUS2 project
Patria is the coordinator of the FAMOUS2 project. The company also has responsibility for tracked vehicle design, system integrations and prototype manufacture. In addition, the project will produce one prototype of a 4x4 wheeled vehicle on behalf of the partners, along with a situational awareness system prototype and suitable subsystems.
Patria with its partners will make two different prototypes of the tracked vehicle: the first will be a solution optimized for excellent mobility with current matured state-ofthe- art technologies, while the second will explore future performance-enhancing technologies. The prototypes will be designed to be modular, enabling the solutions to be utilized in both of them.
“These include a hybrid powertrain, lighter ballistic protection solutions, semi-autonomous functionalities and various active protection solutions against different types of threats,” says Lähteenmäki.
“In order to improve situational awareness, for instance new technologies related to sensors and radar systems are studied in the project as well. One aspect of future performance is the development of a new joint European weapons system.”
Development work is also being carried out on aspects such as vehicle track solutions and lightweight materials.
“When Patria has completed its part in FAMOUS2, we will have two vehicle prototypes which have undergone testing against the customer requirements specified in the project.”
The EU bolsters its defence industry
The total budget of the FAMOUS Programme is around EUR 132 million, of which the European Commission-funded European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) accounted for nine million and the European Defence Fund (EDF) for about EUR 95 million. The remaining amount of approximately EUR 28 million comes from the Member States and as investments from the articipating companies.
The EDF was launched in 2021 with the aim of promoting the competitiveness, efficiency and innovation capabilities of the European defence industry and research community.
The total budget of the Fund for 2021-2027 is around EUR 8 billion, which is funded from the EU budget.
The EDF bolsters the EU’s defence industry and technology base to build greater security in Europe.
“The importance of this issue is highlighted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has fundamentally changed the security situation in Europe,” says Lähteenmäki.
This project has received funding from the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) under Grant Agreements No EDIDP-GCC-2020-058 — FAMOUS and European Defence Fund (EDF) Project 101103043 — FAMOUS2.
This presentation reflects only the author's view and the Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
More about fhe FAMOUS programme
