The European Commission has approved the next phase of the European defence project FAMOUS 3 (European Future Highly Mobile Augmented Armoured Systems), led by Patria (Finnish defence and aviation company). The third phase is awarded 79 million euros from the European Defence Fund (EDF), within a total budget of 115 million euros, according to a press release.
"Rapidly developing Europe's combat capability is one of the European Commission's core missions, supported in part through joint programmes funded via the European Defence Fund (EDF)," says Jussi Järvinen, Executive Vice President of Patria's Protected Mobility business unit.
The FAMOUS programme was launched in 2021 with the aim of developing the armoured vehicles of the future and strengthening Europe's military mobility and ground combat capability. Finland continues as the lead nation, while Patria serves as industrial coordinator.
The project is being carried out in multiple stages as a collaboration between European countries and defence companies. In the second phase, the tracked armoured vehicle Patria TRACKX was developed, intended to contribute to enhanced military mobility and ground combat capability.
The new phase focuses on increased standardisation and coordination between European systems, as well as lower lifecycle costs for both wheeled and armoured vehicles. The work builds on previous phases, including the development of TRACKX.
In total, the FAMOUS programme has so far received over 100 million euros in EU funding, as well as approximately 20 million euros in national co-financing from participating countries. Around 20 countries and more than 50 European defence companies are participating in the programme.
The European Defence Fund (EDF) is the EU's funding programme for defence research and development. It is designed to support joint projects between European countries and companies in order to strengthen shared defence capability and increase coordination within the EU's defence industry. On 15 April, the European Commission announced that 1.07 billion euros will be invested in 57 new defence projects under the EDF, following the evaluation of the 2025 calls for proposals.