As part of the Laivue 2020 program ("Flotilla 2020"), Finland is going to receive four modern corvettes. The cost of the program is estimated at about 1.2 billion euros. It is worth noting that if the program is really implemented, the Finnish fleet will receive such large warships for the first time in a long time. Currently, it includes only missile boats, minelayers and minesweepers.
It is worth noting that the Finnish Navy is rather small, serving about 3, 5 thousand people. The main striking force of the Finnish fleet is 8 missile boats, of which only four can be classified as modern - these are Hamina-class missile boats. The shape of the hull of missile boats helps to reduce their radar signature. Their main armament is 4 container launchers for anti-ship missiles MtO 85M - the Finnish designation of the Swedish RBS-15SF-3 missiles, which can hit targets at a distance of up to 200 km. Artillery armament is represented by the 57-mm Bofors artillery mount. The displacement of Hamina-class missile boats is 250 tons. Prospective Finnish corvettes, which will have to become part of the Finnish fleet in the next decade, will surpass them in displacement by more than 10 times.
One of the reasons for ordering new corvettes is that Hamina missile boats can only be used in very limited ice conditions. Ships with a light aluminum hull do not provide year-round operation in Finland. Another reason is that a fairly large number of ships of the Finnish fleet will leave its composition by the mid-2020s, they need to be changed for something. According to the Finnish side, they need corvettes to maintain the country's defense capability. The goal of the Laivue 2020 program is to create ships that will provide the Finns with the possibility of a long-term presence at sea throughout the year in all weather conditions.
Missile boat type "Hamina"
They also consider the task of ensuring the safety of maritime merchant shipping in the Baltic Sea to be of no small importance; this task is entrusted to the Finnish Navy. Finnish journalists themselves call their country an “island”. This is clearly explained by the structure of their exports and imports. 77 percent of imports arrive in Finland by sea, for exports this figure is up to 90 percent. At the same time, even the threat of a crisis in the Baltic region can significantly hinder shipping and the work of the Finnish economy.
The Finnish company Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) will build corvettes for the Finnish fleet, construction will be carried out at the shipyard in Rauma. Back in the second half of September 2016, the company's management and the Finnish Defense Ministry signed an agreement of intent. The shipyard had six months to prove to the Finnish military that they could fulfill the order, otherwise a competition could be organized for the construction of promising corvettes.
Representatives of Rauma Marine Constructions managed to convince representatives of the Finnish Navy of their capabilities, and in 2017 the contract for the design and construction of ships under the Laivue 2020 program was transferred to them. The conclusion of a contract with the enterprise in Rauma is expected in 2018, the beginning of the construction of the first corvette - 2019. The lead ship of the series is to be commissioned for testing in 2022, the delivery of all four corvettes is scheduled for 2027 with their full combat readiness in 2028.
Prospective view of a promising Finnish corvette created as part of the Laivue 2020 program
It is worth noting that when looking for a contractor company, the Finns had little choice. The shipyard in Helsinki Arctech Helsinki Shipyard was not considered by them, since it is 100% owned by the Russian USC. Another large Finnish shipyard in Turku, which is owned by the German company Meyer Werft, is loaded with orders until 2020. And the conservative Finnish military do not trust foreign shipbuilders, preferring to build ships in Finland. The main reason is the security of supplies during possible crises and the absence of the need to leave the country for maintenance. The only exception to this rule were the Katanpää minesweepers, which were built in Italy, since they simply could not find a contractor for this contract in Finland.
As part of the Finnish Navy, 4 new corvettes will have to replace 4 Rauma-class missile boats, which will be gradually decommissioned, two Hämeenmaa minelayers, as well as a minelayer and flagship of the Pohjanmaa fleet that was decommissioned at the end of 2013. Promising warships will have to form the core of the Finnish fleet for the long term.
It is known that the cost of the Laivue 2020 program is about 1.2 billion euros, of which 300 million are planned to be spent on R&D and design. Apparently, this amount does not take into account the weapons purchased for the corvettes. It is assumed that the Finnish side used the results of joint research with the United States to develop new ships. Helsinki has been cooperating with Washington on the construction of warships for over six years. At the same time, the Finnish fleet denies the fact that cooperation is ongoing in the field of development, while confirming the conduct of joint research. In particular, the countries actively studied the propellers and propeller equipment of warships, exchanged information on the results of tests for the stability and resistance of propellers.
Prospective view of a promising Finnish corvette created as part of the Laivue 2020 program
According to the Finnish military, this is a common practice. “They (the Americans) would like to receive more information about the features of navigation in ice, show great interest in the Northern Sea Route, like any other country with access to the sea,” commented on the joint research captain Veli-Pekka Heinonen. At the same time, cooperation between the United States and Finland is not limited to the study of propellers. Several years ago, they launched a joint project to research new methods of designing warships. During 2010-11, experiments were carried out in laboratory conditions and in the open sea. In the experiments, missile boats of the Finnish fleet were actively used.
The approximate appearance of the new corvettes of the Finnish Navy has already been formed. So far, it is represented mainly by renders, but already now we can judge that the ships are being built using stealth technology. Their hull will be made taking into account the reduction of radar signature. The radar antennas will be integrated into the ship's mast. It is known that the Finnish corvettes will receive a full-fledged indoor hangar and will be able to take on board helicopters, as well as unmanned vehicles.
The planned dimensions of future corvettes have already changed several times. Initially, it was reported that these would be small warships of standard sizes for their class - up to 90-100 meters in length and a displacement of about 2,000 tons. For comparison, the minelayers in service with the Finnish Navy have a length of up to 78 meters and a displacement of 1400 tons. However, according to the latest published data, which appeared in 2017, the corvettes created as part of the Laivue 2020 program will be large enough for their class. The total displacement of the ships will be about 3000 tons (for comparison, the total displacement of the Russian project 20380 corvettes is 2200 tons), the length is 105 meters, the width is 15 meters, the draft is 5 meters, and the speed is more than 25 knots. The crew is from 66 to 120 people. However, these figures are still only preliminary and may change.
Prospective view of a promising Finnish corvette created as part of the Laivue 2020 program
The main armament of promising Finnish corvettes will be anti-ship missiles, initially it was assumed that they would be Swedish or Norwegian, but in the end both anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles on ships will be of American production. Artillery armament will be represented by the 76-mm Oto Melara Super Rapid universal gun mount or the Bofors 57-mm artillery mount, which has already been installed on Finnish missile boats. It is also possible that a rapid-fire automatic shipborne anti-aircraft artillery mount 35 mm CIWS Rheinmetall Oerlikon will appear in the armament of corvettes. The ships' armament will be supplemented with anti-submarine torpedoes. It is also planned to have a towed hydroacoustic station (GAS).
The fact that the main armament of promising Finnish corvettes will become American became known in early February 2018, after the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) sent a notification to the US Congress about the upcoming sale of a batch of missile weapons to Finland. These are Boeing Harpoon Block II + ER anti-ship missiles and Raytheon ESSM anti-aircraft missiles. They are going to arm not only 4 new Finnish corvettes planned for construction under the Laivue 2020 program, but also Hamina-type missile boats, as well as a number of coastal missile units of the Finnish fleet.
According to the published information, Finland will receive 68 Raytheon ESSM surface-to-air missiles worth $ 112.7 million. This amount will also include one inert training missile, 17 four-charge containers Mk 25 for placement in vertical launchers, 8 transport containers Mk 783 and other related equipment, including documentation, training program and spare parts. The Raytheon ESSM is a medium-range anti-aircraft missile with an estimated range of 50 km. Given the volume of delivery, it can be assumed that the Finnish corvettes will carry 16 Raytheon ESSM missiles.
Much more expensive are the Boeing Harpoon Block II + ER anti-ship missiles, also known as Harpoon Next Generation. Boeing has been promoting them internationally since 2015. Finland becomes the first known customer for these anti-ship missiles. In total, the Finns will purchase 100 Boeing RGM-84Q-4 Harpoon Block II + Extended Range (ER) Grade B anti-ship missiles and 12 Boeing RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II Grade B anti-ship missiles. With training missiles, spare parts, documentation and training programs cost deliveries will amount to $ 622 million. The range of the purchased missiles is about 248 km. In the course of the upcoming modernization, four Finnish Hamina-class missile boats will also be rearmed with these missiles, replacing the Swedish RBS-15SF-3 anti-ship missiles.
