Patria-led FAMOUS consortium enters third phase with further €79 million EU grant to speed up combat capability development

The defence industry consortium led by Patria, FAMOUS 3 (European Future Highly Mobile Augmented Armoured Systems), is making progress within the budget framework of the European Union’s European Defence Fund (EDF). The European Commission (EC) approved the consortium’s proposal on 15 April 2026 for the third phase of the project. The EU funding for the project is EUR 79 million with a total budget of EUR 115 million. Finland will continue to act as the lead state and Patria as the industrial coordinator.

The FAMOUS project is implemented in multiple phases, with the first completed and second phase yielding Patria TRACKX armoured tracked vehicle. Patria TRACKX is a completely new innovation advancing European military mobility, but most importantly combat capability on tracks which is currently highly in demand.

FAMOUS 3 will continue the work of previous phases. The third phase of the project aims at maximising synergies, standardisation, commonalities and interoperability, and to lower the life cycle costs for both all-terrain vehicles and light armoured vehicles. FAMOUS 3 will harness the expertise of Patria and the consortium and will continue to develop the technologies and performance of future armoured vehicles to meet the needs of customers in the EU by improving their ground combat capabilities.

“Developing European combat capability rapidly is one of the core missions of EC, supported as a concrete example by joint programmes through EDF funding. Since the beginning, the FAMOUS programme has been highly successful and results-driven. During the previous phase, Patria TRACKX, a truly unique solution for Europe’s mobile armoured sector, was introduced to the market to support Europe’s armoured mobility and combat capability needs and is scheduled to enter serial production in 2027. The consortium is now also expanding into new countries and welcoming additional companies, who Patria is honoured to collaborate with,” says Jussi Järvinen, Executive Vice President of Patria’s Protected Mobility business area.

Since its launch in 2021, the FAMOUS programme including its two previous phases has secured more than 100 million euros in funding from the European Union, with an additional 20 million euros contributed by participating countries. In total, already 20 countries and over 50 leading European defence companies have taken part in the initiative. The FAMOUS project supports seamlessly the European Commission’s goal to enhance the competitiveness and innovation capacity of the EU’s defence industry.

photo courtesy Patria