Tokyo, Japan — Finnish defence company Patria has successfully demonstrated the remote operation of a Patria AMV armoured vehicle in Finland from a control desk in Tokyo, covering a distance of more than 7,800 kilometres (4,847 miles).
The demonstration was held on August 25–26 and hosted by the Embassy of Finland in Japan. It was organized by Patria with its Japanese manufacturing partner, The Japan Steel Works, Ltd. The AMV was located at the Parola military testing area in southern Finland, while the operator controlled the 8×8 vehicle from Tokyo.
The demonstration used the AMV's integrated drive-by-wire systems and a Remote Operating Device supplied by UXV Technologies. Operational data was transferred through Telia's 5G mobile network using a virtual mobile private network with international roaming. The traffic was routed through a closed corporate network isolated from the public internet.
Real-Time Situational Awareness
Patria's DOME system provided real-time situational awareness, while ICEYE supplied near-real-time synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite data for information on the wider operating environment.
Nokia provided its Real-time eXtended Reality Multimedia software and a 5G 360-degree camera mounted on the AMV. A Basemark augmented-reality helmet was also demonstrated for remote operators. SAVOX provided intercom and Voice over IP (VoIP) systems for communication between the operator in Tokyo and the ground safety team in Finland. Patria's ILIAS software monitored the vehicle's health and maintenance condition in real time.
The demonstration builds on Patria's earlier remote-operation work. In 2020, the company demonstrated beyond-visual-line-of-sight remote control of an AMV 8×8 using commercial 4G and 5G networks with the University of Tampere. In April 2025, Telia demonstrated remote operation of a Patria AMV XP over nearly 100 kilometres during military exercises in Lapland using a dedicated 5G network slice.
Patria has sold roughly 1,600 AMV vehicles to defence forces in Finland, Poland, Sweden, Slovenia, Croatia, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Japan. Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force received its first Patria AMV XP in September 2025 under the Wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier programme, with vehicles assembled locally at Japan Steel Works' Muroran plant.
Patria said the remote-operation concept could support unmanned logistics, vehicle convoying and autonomous waypoint navigation. The company is also developing next-generation technologies, including AI-enabled systems, to support higher levels of vehicle autonomy.
Janne Räkköläinen, Patria's Vice President, Market Area World, said the demonstration attracted a large number of attendees from Japan's Ministry of Defence and defence-related companies and reflected strong interest in Patria's remote-driving capabilities in Japan and internationally.
The trial demonstrated how the AMV's modular design and drive-by-wire controls can be combined with telecommunications, satellite data, communications and situational-awareness systems for remote and future autonomous operations.
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