DefenceTalkEstonia has said that it will join Finland to purchase heavy artillery from South Korea. Finland is expected to spend at least 100 million euros in the joint deal. Finnish Defence Forces have been working on a major procurement deal involving self-propelled howitzer artillery for some years now. The military wants to replace currently-used Soviet-built […]https://www.defencetalk.com/estonia-to-team-up-with-finland-for-joint-arms-deal-69060/

DefenceTalkFinland is planning to acquire counter artillery radar systems in the coming years, reports the daily Helsingin Sanomat. The paper said the system would be completely new to Finnish Defence Forces. According to a report in Thursday’s Helsingin Sanomat, Finnish Defence Forces may soon get a completely new counter artillery radar system, an untried system […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finland-planning-to-buy-new-counter-artillery-system-68792/

DefenceTalkThe Finnish Defence Forces’ Logistics Command will send requests to 12 domestic and foreign companies to participate in tendering for a battle system for the Squadron 2020 vessels. Replies are expected by 13.2.2017. After this date an invitation to negotiate and an invitation to tender will be sent to selected suppliers during spring. The battle […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finland-issues-rfp-for-future-ships-combat-system-68692/

DefenceTalkIn spite of closer ties and cooperation over recent years, Sweden will not seek NATO membership, the government stated on Friday. Foreign Minister Margot Wallström and Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist wrote in newspaper Dagens Nyheter that foregoing Sweden’s tradition of non-alignment would increase tensions in the Baltic region. “Changing the Swedish security policy doctrine would […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-membership-not-for-sweden-ministers-68130/

DefenceTalkNordic cooperation, and in particular the in-depth cooperation with Finland, took one more step on Wednesday when two Swedish JAS 39 Gripen aircraft landed on a Finnish road base for the first time. The exercise for the Finnish Air Force, designated Baana 2015, took place during the week at Hosio road base. They were testing […]https://www.defencetalk.com/gripen-fighter-jets-operate-from-roadside-bases-in-finland-65535/

DefenceTalkThe largest circulation daily Helsingin Sanomat meanwhile, collates a number of initiatives and programs by the Finnish Defence Forces in an attempt to test the temperature of current attitudes to national defence. The paper interviewed analyst Mika Aaltola of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs FIIA, who concluded that there’s solidifying support for national defence, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finnish-defence-forces-quietly-move-to-readiness-mode-64749/

DefenceTalkThe working group which was set up to make a preliminary assessment of how to replace the operational capability of the Air Force F/A-18 aircraft proposes procurement of multi-role fighters. The capabilities of multi-role fighters would be complemented with air defence capabilities. The need and possibilities to procure unmanned aircraft and other complementing capabilities will […]https://www.defencetalk.com/working-group-proposes-multi-role-fighters-to-replace-finnish-fa-18-aircraft-64484/

DefenceTalkFinland has contacted nearly a million reservists by e-mail but an armed forces spokesman on Saturday denied the move was motivated by security concerns. “This letter to the reservists is to develop better communication with them and not because of the security situation,” spokesman Mika Kalliomaa told YLE public television. Finland said on Tuesday its […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finland-contacts-reservists-denies-move-due-to-security-concerns-64084/

DefenceTalkFinland said Tuesday its navy had fired warning shots at a possible submarine off the coast of Helsinki in the early hours of the morning. “During surveillance of (Finland’s) territorial integrity, the navy detected a possible underwater object at midday (0900 GMT) on April 27, 2015, within Finland’s territorial waters close to the border outside […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finnish-military-fires-on-suspected-submarine-in-baltic-64018/

DefenceTalkNorwegian daily Aftenposten reported Thursday on the defence cooperation agreement involving Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Denmark in an op-ed undersigned by their respective Defence Ministers. The background to the intensified collaboration was said to be the perceived threat posed by Russia. “The Russian aggression against the Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea are […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nordics-to-step-up-security-cooperation-on-perceived-russian-threat-63803/