The third vessel will now undergo outfitting, while work continues on the first two ships. The fourth has been under construction since before its keel was laid in August.
“The launch of the third vessel reflects the progress made through long-term, persistent effort,” said Rear Admiral Tuomas Tiilikainen, commander of the Finnish Navy. “This is a major undertaking that brings together the future capabilities of the Finnish Navy, domestic industrial expertise, and close cooperation between various stakeholders.”
RMC Defence Oy, a subsidiary of Rauma Marine Constructions, is building the corvettes under the Squadron 2020 programme. The Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command commissioned the project, which RMC says accounts for more than 3,600 person-years of direct employment in Finland.
“As the project moves forward, we have been able to utilise the experience from each vessel in the building of the next ones,” said Mika Nieminen, RMC’s president and chief executive officer. “This is reflected in the evolution of the building processes, increased efficiency of production and stronger capabilities in warship building.”
The ships are designed for year-round operations in the Baltic Sea and are intended to serve well into the 2060s. They will form a core part of Finland’s maritime defence and support operations alongside NATO allies.
“The launching of the third vessel testifies to the excellent learning curve in the key project on maritime performances,” said Brigadier General Engineering Juha-Matti Ylitalo, deputy chief of the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command. “The continued development of cooperation between the Rauma Shipyard, SAAB as the supplier of weapon systems, and the Finnish Navy as the performance owner ensures the achievement of the projected performance.”
The overlapping construction programme allows lessons from each vessel to be applied to those that follow. The Navy said the work would strengthen Finland’s ability to design, build and maintain sophisticated warships domestically.
