Squadron 2020 - Pohjanmaa / Ostrobothnia Corvette
The Finnish Navy will decommission a total of seven vessels and these need to be replaced. The Squadron 2020 project was launched to replace the vessels that are scheduled to be decommissioned. As a vital part of naval defence, the new vessels will repel attacks from the sea and secure important assets at sea and in the archipelago. The credible equipment and systems will establish deterrence against attacks.
Corvettes have many important features:
- they can repel ships and other vessels
- they are capable of maritime mine-laying
- they can engage in anti-submarine warfare
- they can repel aerial vehicles
- they are capable of fire support against land-based targets.
- corvettes are capable of being in command of naval operations
- their capacity for long-tern operations at sea means that
- they can be used throughout the year. They will not be hindered by difficult weather or ice conditions in the Baltic Sea.
The ships of the Squadron 2020 were initially known as the Pohjanmaa Corvette, and both terms remain in use. The Navy commander named the ship class Ostrobothnia on the Naval anniversary 2017. Pohjanmaa [in Finnish], also called Ostrobothnia, or Ostrobothnian Plain, Swedish Österbotten, lowland plain in western Finland, along the Gulf of Bothnia. In former times most of the lumber was exported from Ostrobothnia, and when the export became considerable the greater part of the wood was gathered together on the lake-systems of Näsijärvi and Saima to be exported, in one case vid Björneborg at the mouth of the river Kumo, which is the outlet for the Näsijärvi lake-system, and from Saima (when the Saima Canal was finished in 1856) it was taken via Wiborg.
In the mid-19th century, most of the inhabitants were sailors or fishermen. The introduction of steam-boats, of course, brought many changes, and caused a number of men to seek work abroad. When the menfolk were at sea the women cultivated the land. This was the case on the coast of the mainland, especially in Ostrobothnia, where there was a large sailor population and a great amount of emigration.
Squadron 2020 is the Navy’s project that aims at replacing the seven vessels the Navy will decommission. These will be replaced by four modern corvettes. The new vessels will be important for Finland’s defence as they will form the backbone of maritime defence for the Defence Forces in the future. They are planned to be used into the 2050s. Naval defence must be capable of repelling attacks from the sea, countering territorial violations and safeguarding sea lines of communication. Control of the sea will be built in an area where it is needed. Mine-laying operations will be carried out and enemy vessels will be destroyed with surface-to-surface missiles.
A large part of the tasks and operations of the Navy is carried out at sea. For example, the Navy must be capable of mine-laying, mine warfare, searching submarines and engaging in anti-submarine warfare and these are tasks that require vessels. They cannot be carried out with coastal troops or from outside of the target area. Now and in the future, these operations require a more extended, long-endurance presence at sea. It must be possible to operate at sea around the year, independent of the weather and ice conditions. The navy's new vessels ensure that Finland’s maritime defence continues to be capable of controlling the territorial waters and the archipelago that are vital for its operations.
During the many years of research and development work for the Squadron 2020 project, different types of vessels and combinations of vessels were compared. In the end, the multi-role corvette was recognised as the best alternative since it is capable of a variety of tasks. The ability of the Squadron 2020 vessels is very good in repelling and avoiding air and missle attacks. The layered self-protection system designed for surface combatants contains elements from all ranges to the vessels. Surveillance capability is complemented with signal intelligence. Self-protection capability starts with surface to air missiles and are complemented with naval artillery and soft kill measures. Since the vessels are larger than before it is possible to install highly capable surveillance and weapon systems on the vessels and to ensure a better battle damage tolerance.
The ITO20 system on board ships is the most important part of the ship's own security and ability to protect its properties. All Ostrobothnian class vessels will be equipped with the ITO20 system, which will increase the Navy's anti-aircraft range from 12 kilometers to 50 kilometers. The ITO20 system will be integrated into the Ostrobothnian-class Corvette Battle Command System, which will provide ESSM missiles with the necessary launch and control information. The ITO20 system will also be integrated into the national air defense, which will increase the capability of the entire defense system to combat airborne targets.
The core of the ITO20 system is the ESSM (Evolved Sea Sparrow). The ESSM missile is primarily designed to combat anti-ship missiles and aircraft. The ESSM missile is capable of suppressing objects flying at supersonic speeds. The missile retrieves its target with its semi-active search head.
ESSM missiles launched from ITO20 will continue to be used until the 2040s. ESSM already has a fleet of 13 countries, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the United States. This extensive user community guarantees that the system you are purchasing is not a product under development but is backed by long-term testing and deployment. A large group of users has the benefit of better predictability of life-cycle costs.
Hämeenmaa, Uusimaa, Turunmaa, Ostrobothnia are coastal fleet names and they have a tradition. The Finnish Navy should always carry those names.
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