Patria 6x6 SHORAD (Thales RAPIDRanger) - the future workhorse of British Short Ranged Air Defence?

Sebbo_the_Plebbo · September 29, 2026, 11:18pm

[Would you like to see this in-game?]

Yes
No

0 voters

Introduction

The Patria 6x6 is a Finnish armoured personnel carrier developed as part of the multinational Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) programme, intended to provide a simple, modern and highly mobile 6x6 platform for a wide variety of roles. Originally developed as the XA-220 family before evolving into the current Patria 6x6, the vehicle has been adopted by several European nations and has now become increasingly relevant to Britain following the UK’s entry into the CAVS programme in 2025.

The vehicle is designed around a modular architecture, allowing the basic 6x6 chassis to be configured for troop transport, command, medical evacuation, fire support and other specialist roles. Patria’s current specification gives the vehicle a maximum combat weight of 24 tonnes, a payload of up to 8.5 tonnes, a top speed of over 100 km/h and an operating range of over 700 km. The vehicle uses fully independent suspension, all-wheel drive and steering on the front two axles, while amphibious capability is available as an option.

At DVD 2026, held at UTAC Millbrook on 16-17 September, Thales UK and Patria unveiled a new air-defence configuration of the 6x6 fitted with the Thales RAPIDRanger weapon system. The vehicle was displayed at the Thales stand as a potential solution for the British Army’s future short-range ground-based air-defence requirement, while also demonstrating the flexibility of the CAVS platform. Patria itself described the vehicle as a Thales short-range air-defence system concept.

RAPIDRanger is a lightweight, highly automated short-range air-defence system developed by Thales. The sight head incorporates daylight and thermal cameras, automatic target tracking and a laser guidance system for both STARStreak and Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM), with an optional laser rangefinder. An integral 360° surveillance system can also be incorporated, either through a passive IRST system or an integrated surveillance and tracking radar.

Uniquely for the RAPIDRanger mounted on the Patria at DVD2026, compared to previous vehicle mountings like the VAMTAC and Thor, it was fitted with the HGH Spynel X-3500, a rotating, 360° thermal imaging threat detector and tracker, essentially a modern equivalent of the ADAD system on the Stormer HVM. The Patria 6x6 SHORAD therefore represents the most capable RAPIDRanger fitting seen to date.

Specifications

Spoiler

Chassis