Finnish Company Patria to deliver ASW sonars to new Pohjanmaa class corvettes.

Finnish Company Patria has been awarded a contract for the design and delivery of new Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Sonars by Saab, the Squadron 2020 Combat System Contractor. This new state-of-the-art ASW product strengthens Patria's product portfolio and improves company's competitiveness and position in the international naval markets. The employment effect of the contract in Finland is approximately 50 man-years.

Pohjanmaa-class multi-role corvette. (Picture source Finnish MoD)

The new lightweight dual-tow Sonac DTS system consists of both an active variable depth sonar and a passive towed thin-line receiving array that can be used together or independently. The system has been designed to meet the demanding acoustic underwater environmental conditions of the Baltic Sea to ensure the best possible performance.

The future collaboration covers also combat system engineering and integration, software development and the underwater sensor domain, including sonars. The contract further enables Patria to contribute to the software development of the 9LV Combat Management System (CMS) for the global market and Saab to contribute to the productization and marketing of Patria's underwater sensor portfolio. The collaboration will also strengthen the domestic defense industry and technology base, as well as improve the security of supply for the Squadron 2020 project.

"We are proud to provide the new Pohjanmaa class corvettes with one of their main sensors representing critical technology from the national security of supply point of view. The development of the Sonac DTS system is based on Patria's over 30-year experience in the design and delivery of underwater acoustic sensor systems", says Jonas Geust, President of Patria's Systems Business Unit.

The Pohjanmaa-class is a multi-role corvette manufactured by Rauma Marine Constructions shipyard that will enter in service with the Finnish navy in 2023. It has been designed to perform anti-surface warfare, anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surveillance, and mine-laying missions.

The corvettes will be armed with Bofors 57 mm guns, ESSM surface-to-air missiles, Gabriel surface-to-surface missiles, Torped 47 anti-submarine torpedoes, as well as sea mines.