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Finland brings a significant collection of materiel to NATO, including one of Europe’s largest artillery contingents. Here are some of Helsinki’s most specialized military hardware.
F/A-18 Hornet
The Finnish Air Force has 62 of these American-made aircraft in service. The aging jets are set to be replaced with 64 latest-generation F-35s, beginning in 2026.
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Four of these attack craft are currently in service in the Finnish Navy. The vessels are made of aluminum and composite materials, making them relatively lightweight and nimble. With a weapons array that includes missiles, an artillery gun, and depth charges, the ships are reportedly able to counter “threats from the air, surface, and underwater.” Finland does not have a submarine fleet.
This launcher is known by its American manufacturer as the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System. The MLRS fires the same guided missiles as HIMARS truck-mounted launchers, but offers greater off-road mobility and a larger missile capacity.
Finland reportedly has 200 of these German-made vehicles. Leopard 2s are faster than many Soviet-designed equivalents, and a pool of thousands of the vehicles in European arsenals makes maintenance and swapping out parts relatively simple.
This 155-millimeter self-propelled howitzer, dubbed the K9 Thunder by its South Korean manufacturer, is capable of landing three shells in the same place at once. Its “multiround simultaneous-impact” capability is achieved by lobbing one high, looping shell, then firing off two more at lower, faster trajectories.
This Finnish-made vehicle features a weapons system that can be aimed remotely by a gunner locked inside the APC’s hull. Up to 11 soldiers can be carried into battle in the vehicle, which was designed to be able to “wade” through Finland’s swampy landscape.
This heavy artillery piece is designed to be towed into its firing position but also has a single, open driver’s seat allowing it to be relocated, slowly, under its own power. The unusual Finnish-made 155-millimeter gun was reportedly significantly less capable than claimed, and a sale of the weapon to the Egyptian military was controversially made without revealing its faults.
The heavy mortar mounted inside a trailer for the Finnish-made “piglet” tracked vehicle allows a firing crew to lob a dozen mortar rounds in a minute, then escape into the wilderness before an adversary’s battery radars can pinpoint their location.
This German-made engineering vehicle is capable of extending a bridge across waterways up to 25 meters wide. Night-vision equipment allows its crew of two to lay a crossing within a few minutes, even in total darkness.
Compiled by RFE/RL.
