Finland begins construction of final Pohjanmaa-class corvette at Rauma shipyard.

On January 14, 2026, steel cutting for the fourth Pohjanmaa-class corvette and keel laying for the third vessel took place at the Rauma shipyard, marking the start of final-hull production and third-ship assembly under Finland’s Squadron 2020 program.

On January 14, 2026, the Finnish Navy began construction of the fourth Pohjanmaa-class multi-role corvette at the Rauma shipyard, while the keel of the third vessel was laid on the same day. With all four Squadron 2020 ships now under construction, the program has entered its full-rate production phase following earlier starts in 2023 and 2024.
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Described as the Finnish Navy’s largest surface combatants since the coastal defence ships Ilmarinen and Väinämöinen in the 1930s, each Pohjanmaa-class corvette measures 117 m in length, with a beam of 16.5 m and a 5 m draught. (Picture source: Finnish Navy)

Rauma stated that the construction of the fourth and final Pohjanmaa-class multi-role corvette for the Finnish Navy began at its shipyard, while the keel of the third ship of the class was laid on the same day, confirming that all four vessels of the Squadron 2020 program are now under construction simultaneously. The steel-cutting marked the formal start of production for the last hull, and the keel-laying marked the physical start of assembly for the third vessel, including the placement of the keel block and traditional coins beneath it. These milestones follow the start of construction of the first ship in October 2023 and the second ship in October 2024, and they place the program firmly in its full-rate construction phase with parallel work across multiple hulls.

The Squadron 2020 program is structured to replace seven ageing surface combatants with four larger, ice-capable multi-role corvettes intended to remain in service into the 2050s. The vessels will replace four Rauma-class missile boats, two Hämeenmaa-class minelayers, and the single Pohjanmaa minelayer that was decommissioned in 2015, consolidating several mission sets into fewer hulls. The first Pohjanmaa-class corvette was launched in May 2025 and has entered the outfitting phase, the second vessel completed hull construction in December 2025, the third began construction in August 2025, and the fourth entered production in January 2026. Sea trials for the lead ship are planned for 2026, commissioning is scheduled to begin in 2027, and delivery of all four vessels is planned by 2029.

Each Pohjanmaa-class corvette has an overall length of 117 meters, a beam between 16 and 16.5 meters, a draught of five meters, and a displacement of about 4,300 tonnes, making them the largest Finnish surface combatants since the Ilmarinen and Väinämöinen coastal defence ships of the 1930s. The standard crew is about 70 to 73 personnel, with accommodation and endurance designed for 14 days at sea and a range of about 3,500 nautical miles. The hull is ice-reinforced to a level equivalent to Finnish ice class 1A, enabling independent year-round operations in the Baltic Sea, including in heavy ice conditions, without reliance on icebreaker assistance.

Propulsion is based on a combined diesel-electric and gas arrangement delivering about 28 MW of total power, using one General Electric LM2500 gas turbine and four MAN 12V175D diesel generator sets rated at 1,920 kW each. During routine operations, electric propulsion drives two ice-strengthened controllable pitch propellers, while the gas turbine can be engaged through a common gearbox to exceed speeds of 26 knots. Two of the diesel generators are installed on double-resilient mountings inside sound-insulated enclosures to reduce noise during anti-submarine operations, and two bow thrusters support low-speed maneuvering in confined coastal and archipelagic waters.

The combat system architecture is centered on Saab’s 9LV combat management system and the TactiCall integrated communications system, installed on a Saab Lightweight Integrated Mast carrying Sea Giraffe 4A fixed-face AESA radar and Sea Giraffe 1X short-range 3D radar. Fire control is handled by CEROS 200 radar and optronic directors, and the ships also include a naval laser warning capability and soft-kill countermeasures. The underwater warfare suite combines Kongsberg SS2030 hull-mounted sonar, SD9500 dipping sonar, and Patria Sonac DTS with active variable-depth sonar and a passive towed array, supporting operations against submarines in shallow and acoustically complex Baltic waters.

Armament includes a forward-mounted Bofors 57 mm Mk3 naval gun, two Saab Trackfire remote weapon stations, and four Rheinmetall MASS decoy launchers for self-protection. Surface warfare is provided by Gabriel V anti-ship missiles designated PTO 2020, while air defense relies on RIM-162 ESSM Block 2 missiles designated ITO 20, quad-packed into eight Mk 41 vertical launch cells for a total of 32 missiles per ship. Anti-submarine capability is provided by Saab Torped 47 lightweight torpedoes, and the ships can lay up to 100 PB 17 naval mines via stern rails, while aviation facilities support a medium helicopter such as the NH90 and unmanned aerial systems.

Within the current Finnish Navy fleet, the Pohjanmaa-class corvettes will operate alongside four modernized Hamina-class missile boats, which are smaller fast-attack craft armed with missiles, a main gun, and short-range air defense. The fleet also includes mine countermeasures vessels of the Katanpää class, several types of minelayers, landing craft, and auxiliary vessels supporting coastal and archipelagic operations. Once all four Pohjanmaa-class corvettes enter service, they will form the core of Finland’s surface combatant force, concentrating surface warfare, air defense, anti-submarine warfare, minelaying, and command functions into a reduced number of hulls under the Squadron 2020 structure.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.