Finland - Army (Maavoimat) - Modernization
Although Finnish first-line units were undergoing modernization in the late 1980s, the Defense Forces as a whole were only moderately well equipped for the mission of resisting armed attack against or across Finland's territory. Military outlays continued to be among the lowest, in relation to national income, of all of the developed countries. Nonetheless, the nation was firm in its resolve to defend Finnish territory and independence. It was confident that its military preparedness, combined with the qualities of its individual soldiers and its forbidding geography, presented a strong deterrent to intervention from any quarter.
On 17 September 2002, the German and Finnish Ministries of Defence signed a contract according to which Finland bought 124 used Leopard 2A4 MBTs from Germany. On behalf of Germany, the contract was signed by the State Secretary, Dr Walther Stützle and the Permanent Secretary, General Matti Ahola signed it for Finland. The procurement of tanks was financed by the procurement authorizations complementing the readiness formations in 2003-2008. The Finnish partner had not, by the purchase, committed itself to any kind of additional procurement from Germany. There were plans to use the tanks in question until the years 2025-2030. The procurement of tanks came into question as the Soviet-built T-55 and T-72 MBTs used by the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) were becoming technically outdated.
Russia is ready to expand military contacts with Finland and plans to help the country modernize its armed forces. This information was announced 30 May 2013 by Sergey Shoygu, Defence Minister of the Russian Federation. Shoygu was on a two-day visit to Finland hosted by his Finnish counterpart Carl Haglund. “This is the first contact at the defence ministerial level. I hope we will expand our military contacts,” Russia’s Defence Minister said at a press conference in Helsinki. In addition, Shoygu stated that Russia could provide assistance to Finland in the modernization of its army. “Our military experts will hold a series of meetings on this issue in the near future,” he pointed out.
The Finnish defense ministry announced on 18 December 2013 that it had started talks with the Netherlands to purchase about 100 used Leopard 2A6 battletanks. The Finnish defense ministry announced that the preparations and negotiations for the acquisition was ongoing between the two countries. Helsinki hoped to be able to sign the contract for the purchase of tanks during the visit of the Finnish Defence Minister Karl Chagklount in Holland in late January 2014. If the Finnish Parliament voted for the draft budget, then, according to the defense ministry, the transaction would occur in early 2014.
Minister of Defence Carl Haglund made an official visit to the Netherlands on 20 January 2014. Minister Haglund and Minister Hennis-Plasschaert signed an agreement on the acquisition of 100 used Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks for the Finnish Defence Forces. The main battle tanks would be purchased from the Netherlands and delivered to Finland over the period of 2015-2019. The value of the purchase was EUR 199.9 million. The acquisition was expected to secure the Army’s strike capability well into the 2030’s.
Finland already had in frontline units, 100 Leopard 2A4 tanks, which were gradually being received from inventories of the German Army. Some 30 Leopard 2A4 tanks used in educational activities. The Netherlands had a large surplus of used battle tanks Leopard 2, which offered future potential buyers, resulting decision of April 2012, in which the country withdrew the tank fleet.
The Finnish Defence Forces upgraded its rolling stock with used tanks from the Netherlands. The new equipment was delivered in 2015. The military deal saw Finland purchase 100 used Leopard 2A6 battle tanks for 200 million euros from the Netherlands. This initiative was taken to strengthen the upgrade plan of the army's armored battlefield units between 2015 and 2019.
Finnish Ministry of Defence announced 09 February 2016 that it had approved a plan of acquiring the Guided MLRS missiles. The scope of procurement covers both high-explosive, as well as “alternative” warheads, with the latter ones used to attack targets scattered over the larger areas. Finland sought to acquire 90 high explosive warhead rockets and 150 examples of projectiles with the Alternative Warhead system. Maximum range of both variants of the GMLRS weapons system is defined as 70 kilometers.
By early 2016 Finland's Ministry of Defense, suffering from budget cuts, was discussing the procurement of second-hand military equipment with South Korea in order to update its forces in the most cost-effective manner. Finland's ambition is to update its rapid response forces, which can be deployed quickly. The purpose of the contract was to enable the support for the operational troops with artillery equipment that features both a long range and good mobility on rugged terrain and on roads. The South Korean hardware is set to partially replace obsolete artillery during the 2020s and 2030s.
The Finnish army had studied the supply and prices on the international market for both new and used 155 mm self-propelled artillery systems, and decided on the acquisition of South Korean K9 Thunder artillery pieces. According to the Defense Ministry, the K9 Thunder artillery pieces were suitable for military training and appropriate for the Finnish conscript army due to their cost-effectiveness. The Finnish Defense Ministry believed that the Korean ACS would provide the necessary performance at minimum cost. Negotiations were still underway as of 01 July 2016, which is why no details of the transaction had so far been disclosed.
Finland’s Ministry of Defense confirmed 17 February 2017 that the country would purchase K9 Thunder 155 mm self-propelled howitzers from South Korea. Jussi Niinistö, Finnish defence minister, approved the purchase of 48 K9s that formerly belonged to Seoul’s army, at a cost of $155 million. According to the MoD, the contract included maintenance, spares, training, and the option to procure additional weapons. Finland announced that it was in negotiations with South Korea for the K9s in July 2016, citing the weapon’s price and adaptability with their conscription-based military. For staff training to commence, the howitzers were scheduled to be delivered in 2017, with conscripts expected to begin training on the weapon in 2019.
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