The Finish Ministry of Defence (MoD) admitted that final contract negotiations for the procurement of a series of new corvettes under the Squadron 2020 will take longer than expected. Timeline for delivery of first vessels might also get revised.
Visualisation of the future Finish Pohjanmaa-class corvette, which will be procured under the Squadron 2020 program / Graphic: Finish MoD
According to Major General Lauri Puranen, Program Director of Strategic Projects at the Finish MoD, the Squadron 2020 program, which has the procurement of four new Pohjanmaa-class corvettes at its core, will most likely be delayed due to prolonged final contract negotiations. ‘It is regrettable that the procurement decisions of the Pohjanmaa-class ships have been delayed’, said Puranen.
He admitted that the implementation of the Squadron 2020 program required more time than previously expected, especially in regards to negotiating all essential elements of the deal. ‘At the end of the contract negotiations, there are some contractual terms and principles, although they are important details for the contract package’, added Puranen.
Puranen underlined the fact that prolonged contract negotiations might also affect the timeline for delivery of first in a series vessels. ‘There will inevitably be a delay in the completion of the first ships’. Luckily, ‘the full operational capability of the fleet of the four ships will still be possible in 2028’.
Under the Squadron 2020 program the Finish Navy will replace its legacy vessels with new and more modern ones. Among the platforms, which already were decommissioned or are planned to be phased out in the near future, are: the minelayer Pohjanmaa, two Hämeenmaa-class minelayers and four Rauma-class missile boats. The future Pohjanmaa-class corvettes will be supplemented by four modernized Hamina-class missile boats.
