New era for Nordic navies: Finland's formidable corvette fleet
Although for years both Sweden and Finland avoided using larger ships, the new NATO members have decided to build corvettes, in response to the Russian threat—the Luleå type for Sweden and Pohjanmaa type for Finland. The hull of the first Finnish Pohjanmaa-class corvette has already been constructed.
The hull was presented during a visit by former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö. At the RMC Defence shipyard on the Gulf of Bothnia, the work was conducted at an impressive pace. According to Milmag's calculations, sheet cutting took place on October 30, 2023, the keel was laid on April 11, 2024, and the hull was completed by the end of the previous year.
Currently, finishing and outfitting work is underway before the launch scheduled for spring 2025. The first of the four ships is expected to enter service in 2027.
Pohjanmaa type - new Finnish missile corvettes
The Pohjanmaa-class ships being built by Finland are large missile corvettes with a length of 117 metres and a displacement of up to 4,700 tonnes. Due to their size, they are designed to enable year-round service in the Baltic Sea, independent of weather conditions.
Due to the conditions in the northern Baltic Sea and the Archipelago Sea (the area between Finland and the Åland Islands), their hulls have been reinforced to the Ice Class 1A standard, allowing them to break through ice up to 79 centimetres thick.
The ships' main armament will be Israeli Gabriel 5 ANAM (Advanced Naval Attack Missile) missiles. The same missiles have been selected by Finland for its coastal, land-based launchers.
Pohjanmaa-class corvettes - armament
The Gabriel 5 is over 5.5 metres long and weighs 1,250 kilograms. A key feature of the missile is its modern warhead with an active radar, similar to the Swedish RBS15 missiles, which are half the weight.
The Israeli missile has been optimized to operate under conditions of strong interference, electronic countermeasures by the enemy, and for independent target searching, including those made with stealth technology.
Alongside the anti-ship missiles, the Pohjanmaa-class corvettes will be armed with 57-millimetre calibre naval guns, as well as an 8-cell Mk 41 VLS with 32 RIM-162 ESSM anti-aircraft missiles.
