Saab has signed a contract with the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command, and received an order to provide and integrate the combat system for the Finnish Navy’s new Pohjanmaa-class corvettes within the Squadron 2020 programme. This follows the previously announced selection on 19 September. The order value is 412 million Euro and the contract period is 2019-2027. The Finnish shipyard RMC Defence will build the Finnish Navy’s four new corvettes, with construction 2022 to 2025. The corvettes will be fully operational by 2028.
The contract includes, among other things, Saab’s Combat Management System (9LV) and Saab’s radars Sea Giraffe 4A Fixed Face and Sea Giraffe 1X. The communication system TactiCall as well as the remote weapon station Trackfire, are also included in the contract. This is going to be the world’s most modern and advanced corvettes, with state of the art technology and capabilities, including the 9LV Combat Management System and the integrated mast featuring Saab’s sophisticated Sea Giraffe 4A Fixed Face radar and the Sea Giraffe 1X radar.
The Pohjanmaa class is a series of four multi-role corvettes currently under development for the Finnish Navy as part of the Squadron 2020 ( Laivue 2020) project. Together with the existing four Hamina-class missile boat, the four new surface combatants will form the backbone of the Finnish Navy from the mid-2020s onwards. They will replace seven older vessels that have been or are due to be decommissioned: the minelayer Pohjanmaa, two Hämeenmaa-class minelayers and four Rauma-class missile boats. While the Finnish Navy refer to the new surface combatants as multi-role corvettes, several commentators have pointed out that by displacement the 3,900-tonne (3,800-long-ton) vessels should be classified as frigates.
The corvettes are going to be armed with Bofors 57 mm guns, Evolved Seasparrow Missile (ESSM) surface-to-air missiles, IAI’s Gabriel 5 surface-to-surface missiles, Torped 47 anti-submarine torpedoes, as well as sea mines.
