Finland and Latvia will start manufacturing armored personnel carriers for both countries' armed forces this year. Estonia joined the initiative last spring but pulled out in the development phase in October because of mounting costs. Estonia has been using Finnish Pasi armored vehicles for the past 15 years that will now undergo modernization to remain in service until 2048. Patria, a joint venture of the Finnish state and the Norwegian Kongsberg Gruppen, is establishing joint ventures with Latvian companies that manufacture sheet metal and service and repair heavy trucks. This cooperation will produce an armored personnel carrier and command and control vehicle for Latvian and Finnish armed forces.