The facility enables testing of drones beyond visual line of sight across land, water and air, supporting both civilian and defence applications. VTT said the area’s scale and diversity allow companies to assess performance, safety and operational capabilities in real-world conditions.
The drone testing site has been expanded with a new 150-kilometre-long and 20-kilometre-wide corridor, increasing its total size to more than twice that of Greater London. The corridor enables long-distance flights across varied terrain and weather, which are critical for evaluating advanced aviation systems.
VTT said the site is used year-round, with thousands of test flights conducted annually under changing seasonal conditions. The environment includes forests, fields, swamps and bodies of water, exposing systems to a wide range of operational challenges.
“Drone services are on the rise as unmanned aircraft are ideal for improving the efficiency of, for example, logistics, surveying, and monitoring operations. The industry is developing quickly, intensifying the need for diverse test sites where drone functionality, sensors, safety, and airspace management solutions can be tested in real-world conditions. Test sites are crucial for the development and deployment of this new technology, ensuring its reliability and enabling new drone businesses. We support the product development of our customers with versatile technology expertise from sensors to power sources and material choices,” said Timo Lind, Principal Scientist and Chief Drone Pilot at VTT.
Lind said demand for drone testing infrastructure is increasing across Europe, but only a limited number of sites can offer sufficient scale and flexibility. He said the combination of sparse population, open airspace and environmental diversity makes the Finnish facility distinct.
“The need for drone test sites is growing sharply in Europe. Most countries have a test site of some kind, but due to congested airspace, dense populations, and tight regulations, only a few countries can offer sufficiently large and versatile areas. That makes VTT’s site stand out,” he said.
The site also supports testing of drone swarms and multi-platform autonomous systems, allowing simultaneous operation of multiple devices. VTT said this capability enables the integration of aerial, land and water-based systems into coordinated operations.
Winter conditions play a significant role in testing, exposing systems to cold, humidity and ice that cannot be fully replicated in laboratories. Lind said these factors reveal performance limitations in components such as batteries and electronics.
“Winter in particular offers conditions that cannot be fully simulated in a lab. The cold, humidity, and ice that accumulate on the surfaces of devices reveal the weaknesses in systems, such as the performance of batteries and electronics,” he said.
VTT said the site is continuing to evolve, with new investments including a primary radar system to track drones under varying conditions. The facility is also being prepared for testing heavier aircraft, long-range drones and high-altitude systems.
“In the future, technologies will be tested in the area in even more demanding conditions to ensure the functionality of devices and systems in critical conditions. Test operations are also expanding to heavier aircraft, long-range drones, and high-altitude systems,” said Jussi Kangasoja, UAS Specialist and Senior Scientist at VTT.
