Finnish Minister of Defence, Jussi Niinistö, has given the Defence
Forces a mandate to start the Finnish Navy project, Squadron 2020. The
aim of the Squadron 2020 project is to construct four new corvette-size
fighting ships for year-round operation in the special weather and ice
conditions at the Baltic Sea.
The Request for Information informs shipyards about the project and
inquires know-how and price information from shipbuilders and suppliers
to base the Request for Quote on. The RFI was sent out on 18 December
2015 and answers are requested by the end of March next year. |
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The four
new vessels will replace the already decommissioned FNS Pohjanmaa, four
Rauma-class fast attack missile craft and two Hämeenmaa-class minelayers
that will reach the end of their life-cycle by the mid-2020s. The new
vessels will guarantee the ability of the Finnish Navy to, among other
things, surveil and safeguard our territorial integrity at sea and to
protect maritime connections. Without the new vessels, the Finnish Navy
wouldn't be able to complete its statutory obligations in the future.
Central criteria for selecting the constructor are the Finnish Navy's
strict requirements for the ships’ performance in winter conditions
and naval mine-laying capability. Foreign military shipyards are not
able to provide standard plans for ships suitable for Finland's needs
and conditions. Maintenance, service and repairs are of critical importance
for the vessels' performance and need to be mainly available in Finland.
The new vessel class project is estimated to require a funding of €1.2bn,
and the life-cycle of the vessels will be at least 35 years.
The public parts of the Request for Information, prepared by the Defence
Forces Logistics Command, will be sent to companies, who may have know-how
and systems relevant for the project. The companies may put in a tender
for the complete project or some part of it, for example for weapon
and censor systems. Complementary, classified materials will be provided
at a seminar to be held later on.
Procurement decisions will be made in the course of next year. Upon
completion of the contract negotiations, the contracts will be signed
in 2019. The first naval engineering tests are scheduled for 2020 and
according to plan the last ship should be handed over to the Finnish
Defence Forces in 2024. |
The Finnish
Rauma-class missile boat FNS Naantali (PTG 73) steams through the Baltic
Sea during exercises supporting Baltic Operations (BALTOPS). U.S. Navy
photo