DTN News: BAE Systems Awarded Contract To Enhance Capability Of Finnish Air Force

DTN News: BAE Systems Awarded Contract To Enhance Capability Of Finnish Air Force

Source: DTN News / BAE Systems

(NSI News Source Info) YEOVIL, United Kingdom - September 6, 2010: BAE Systems has been awarded a contract to provide a Link 16 network management system to the Finnish Air Force. Supporting the operation of Finland's F-18 aircraft, the system will enable ground command and control operators to connect to, and maintain contact with, their fast jets across the entire country. BAE Systems will work in partnership with Rockwell Collins, the prime contractor and team leader for the Ground Station programme. Under the contract, BAE Systems will provide all the software to set up the infrastructure, configure and control the various remote sites and configure and manage the Link 16 network. BAE Systems will also provide a simulation environment which that will provide the Finnish Air Force with the ability to participate in high fidelity collaborative training exercises whilst still supporting live operations. Built upon a set of proven systems the network management system provides a low risk, innovative solution to meet the complex operational requirements of the Finnish Air Force, along with the challenges of the terrain and environment in which the system will operate. The Link 16 network management solution offered by BAE Systems allows the Finnish Air Force to dynamically monitor the connectivity between the various ground sites and the aircraft, and to continuously measure how the network is performing to maintain an uninterrupted service. Paul Burke BAE Systems Business Director said: "We are delighted to be part of the team delivering this capability as we have unparalleled experience in the provision of complex data link network management and support systems. The solution for the Finnish Air Force is based on systems successfully delivered by us to the UK MOD that allow monitoring and management of the UK's Link 16 network, achieving greater than 99% reliability over the period since their introduction. About BAE Systems BAE Systems is a global defence, security and aerospace company with approximately 107,000 employees worldwide. The Company delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. In 2009 BAE Systems reported sales of £22. 4 billion (US$ 36. 2 billion).

For further information, please contact: Nicky Donovan, BAE Systems Tel: +44 (0) 1935 443196

Email: nicky. donovan@baesystems.com

DTN News: Finland Upgrading Hornet Fighters

DTN News: Finland Upgrading Hornet Fighters Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including YLE Finnish Broadcasting Corp.; issued Aug. 8, 2010

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 10, 2010: The Finnish Defence Forces are preparing to spend more than a billion euros in the upgrading of its fleet of F-18 Hornet jet fighters. The US-built planes are at about the halfway point of their effective lifespans. The upgrade is set to extend their usefulness so that new fighters would not be needed before 2025. Nevertheless, the Finnish Air Forces is looking at other possible jet fighters on the market. The most recent achievement of advanced military aviation is the American F-35 fighter, which Norway’s air force is planning to acquire. Finland is also looking at the F-35, although the super-modern jet is also super expensive. Precision Weapons for Hornet The Air Force says that it is now concentrating on the upgrading of the Hornet. The planes, which are primarily attended to give the Finns the capability to repulse an attack, are being modified to function as assault planes, capable of hitting land targets from a long distance. Army Also Upgrading Equipment The Finnish Army is also planning to upgrade much of its materiel. East German equipment, including Leopard tanks which were acquired in the 1990s, is becoming obsolete. A key requirement in new acquisitions is compatibility with NATO systems, even though Finland has no immediate plans to join the alliance.

Finnish Air Force - F-18 Hornet The F-18 Hornet is the Finnish Air Force variant of the Boeing IDS F/A-18 Hornet multi-role attack and fighter aircraft. The aircraft is almost identical to a late F/A-18C/D used by the US Navy, as well as the Hornets used by the Swiss Air Force, although no air-to-ground equipment or weapons were purchased with the aircraft. The decision to rename the aircraft to F-18 was mainly a political decision to underline the air defense role of the fighters.

The decision to purchase the aircraft (64 in total, with 7 two-seat F-18D models and 57 single-seated F-18C models) was made in 1992, soon after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. The original plan was to buy about 40 western fighters and about 20 Soviet fighters due to political reasons, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union this was no longer necessary. The plan changed to 60 single-seat + 7 dual seat fighters of the same type, and the F-18 won the contest. To keep the budget the number of fighters to be purchased was decreased by three, to 57+7. The 57 single-seat aircraft were produced in Finland by Patria.

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

YLE Finnish Broadcasting Corp. ~ Related News

Newspaper Poll: Niinistö Most Popular for President

[News] published Sun 07:28 PM

A poll published by the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat indicates that Speaker of Parliament Sauli Niinistö is the most popular potential candidate for the Finnish presidency.

Finland Upgrading Hornet Fighters

[News] published Sun 06:56 PM

The Finnish Defence Forces are preparing to spend more than a billion euros in the upgrading of its fleet of F-18 Hornet jet fighters.

Finavia Says Wingo May Not Start Flights to Pori, Seinäjoki

[News] updated yesterday 03:51 PM

Finland's aviation authority Finavia says that travel operator Wingo will not be able to begin flying from Helsinki to Pori and Seinäjoki as advertised. Wingo says it will be flying the routes on Wednesday.

Injuries at Sudden Storm at Pori Music Festival

[News] updated yesterday 08:22 PM

Two people injured at last weekend's Sonisphere Music Festival in Pori are no longer in critical condition. On Sunday, a sudden and unusually powerful storm surprised festival fans and knocked part of a stage into the crowd.

Smoke from Russia Affects Air Quality

[News] updated yesterday 05:54 PM

Air quality in the south and east of Finland has deteriorated significantly owing to smoke that has been spreading into the area from forest fires in Russia. Health experts are advising against strenuous exercise out of doors while there is smoke in the air.

Finalist Dies in Sauna Competition

[News] updated yesterday 05:47 PM

The “World Sauna Championships” in the Finnish city of Heinola came to a tragic end on Saturday evening when one of the finalists, a Russian man, died in the end stages of the competition. He was competing against a Finnish man who was hospitalised.

About 8,000 Households without Electricity

[News] updated Sun 06:36 PM

About 8,000 households around Finland were still without electricity Sunday evening in the aftermath of severe weatherin recent days and weeks.

Disfigured Afghan Woman on Time Cover Also Got Finnish Help

[News] published Sat 06:22 PM

Bibi Aisha, a 19-year-old Afghan woman whose disfigured face was on a recent cover of the US news magazine Time lived for a while in a women’s refuge maintained by Finnish development cooperation funds. A YLE news journalist interviewed Aisha in June. The possibility of her having reconstructive surgery in Finland was discussed, but she is now in the United States for treatment.

Russian Wildfires Pollute Finnish Air

[News] updated Sat 07:00 PM

Forest fires raging in Russia are negatively affecting air quality in Finland. Airborne smoke particles can cause symptoms for the most sensitive especially in the east of Finland.

Wingo Considers Flights to Pori, Seinäjoki

[News] updated yesterday 05:45 PM

The travel service company Wingo is holding talks with its financiers on Saturday on the possibility of opening service to Seinäjoki and Pori. On Monday, Finncomm Airlines announced that it would cancel flights to the two cities, a move that would deprive them of scheduled passenger air service.

Train Tracks in East Cleared of Fallen Trees

[News] updated Sat 02:34 PM

Trains in the east of Finland are on schedule again after trees felled by Wednesday’s stormy were cleared away from the tracks. Buses were used to substitute trains between Imatra and Joensuu until Friday evening.

Patria Sells Gunpowder Factory to French Company

[News] updated Fri 08:24 PM

The Finnish defence manufacturer Patria has sold its share in the Vihtavuori gunpowder factory to the French company Eurenco. Before the sale, Eurenco owned about 60 percent of Vihtavuori, and Patria and the Swedish Saab had shares of about 20 percent each.

DTN News: Finnish Fighter Jets Damaged By Volcanic Cloud

DTN News: Finnish Fighter Jets Damaged By Volcanic Cloud Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) HELSINKI - April 17, 2010: Finnish fighter jets which flew through the volcanic dust covering much of Europe suffered damage and the air force warned Friday the cloud could have a significant impact on planes. The air force F-18 Hornet jets were on training flights in northern Finland on Thursday morning, when airspace was still open, and the engines were later found to contain fine, volcanic ash dust. "Based on the pictures, it was discovered that even short flights in ash dust may cause significant damage to an airplane's engine," the Finnish Defence Forces said in a statement. Images taken inside one Hornet engine with a fibroscope camera indicated that the heat of the engine — around 1,000 degrees Celcius — had melted the ash inside the engine, blocking ventilation channels. "Blockages of ventilation channels caused by melting ash lead engine components to overheat and material to weaken," it said, adding this could fracture rotating engine parts. In the worst case, the weakening of component materials could cause "parts to detach and the engine to be destroyed," it said. The Hornets exposed to the dust from the eruption of a volcano in Iceland would be checked thoroughly, with "at least some" of the engines detached and sent for further studies and repair. The air force would keep a Hawk combat aircraft equipped with a tank to take atmospheric samples on standby to assist civilian authorities as necessary, it said, adding that operative military flights would continue normally. Samples taken by the plane, which collects particle samples in a filter in the tank, could be used to analyze how much ash dust was in the air. A huge cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland has spread over large part of Europe, shutting airports and forcing the cancellation of thousands of flights. Finland's airports were shut Thursday at midnight and flights are not due to resume until Saturday afternoon at earliest.

DTN News: Boeing Upgrades F-18 Training Systems For Finnish Air Force

DTN News: Boeing Upgrades F-18 Training Systems For Finnish Air Force

*Source: DTN News / Boeing (NSI News Source Info) ST. LOUIS, USA - August 6, 2009: Boeing [NYSE: BA] yesterday August 5, announced that it has delivered upgrades for three F-18 Weapons Tactics and Situational Awareness Training Systems (WTSAT) to the Finnish Air Force.

The F-18 Hornet is the Finnish Air Force variant of the Boeing IDS F/A-18 Hornet multi-role attack and fighter aircraft. It lacks certain avionics, target acquisition and weapon control features, limiting its ground attack capability. The aircrew trainers now offer the capability to train for aerial refueling and provide a long-haul networking capability that allows the systems to link over a Wide Area Network. "These training system upgrades deliver advanced capabilities to our Finnish Air Force customer," said Mark McGraw, vice president of Boeing Training Systems and Services. "Finnish F-18 Hornet pilots at one site will now be able to engage in shared training sessions with pilots at other sites and fly virtual missions together via an industry-recognized high-level architecture, which ensures simulation devices can talk and share data over the network." The WTSAT features a simulated head-up display, three Debrief Stations (DBS), an upgraded flight program simulation, and enhanced Instructor-Operator Station capabilities. This delivery also included upgrades for three Deployable Tactics Trainers (DTTs) delivered in December 2007. "We have made it easier for the customer to conduct networked training and run their missions," said John Gilbert, WTSAT program manager for Boeing. "The WTSATs, DTTs, and DBS can now interact simultaneously on simulated missions and debriefs. Training missions that previously required an instructor at each site now can be accomplished with one instructor controlling all the scenarios from one location." The upgrades integrate a supplier's visual system with Boeing hardware and software. A single software baseline runs in all three devices. A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

DTN News: Estonia, Finland Order 14 Medium-Range Radars / Estonia Concluded A Contract For The Procurement Of Two Medium Range Radar Systems

DTN News: Estonia, Finland Order 14 Medium-Range Radars / Estonia Concluded A Contract For The Procurement Of Two Medium Range Radar Systems

(NSI News Source Info) June 4, 2009: Today, Estonia concluded a procurement contract, together with the Finnish Ministry of Defence and the French company Thales-Raytheon Systems, for the procurement of two 3D medium range radar systems, which will cover Estonia and its surrounding airspace with a single radar image.

ThalesRaytheonSystems has been selected to deliver Medium Range Air Surveillance Systems including 14 Ground Master 403 radar systems, 12 for Finland and two for Estonia, and a Long Range Air Identification and Surveillance Radar System Mid Life Upgrade for five Teresa 22XX radars for Finland, which were previously supplied by Thales. The order value for the Ground Master radars and the Teresa upgrade is expected to be approximately €200 million ($265 million). ThalesRaytheonSystems has also been selected to provide 12 Sentinel radars as part of the air defense system selected by the Finnish Ministry of Defense to fulfill Finland's future Medium Range Air Defense Missile System (MRADMS) requirements.

Estonia and Finland will together procure a total of 14 radar systems of the Ground Master 403 series. The two radar systems intended for Estonia are meant to supplement Estonia’s current sole 3D medium range radar in Kellavere, in West-Viru County, and to also provide a sufficient air surveillance image for Western and South-eastern Estonia.

The formidable air surveillance image created thanks to the procurement will increase early warning time in case of possible crisis situations, and is also the prerequisite for the operation of air policing fighter craft and air defence missile systems, the procurement of which is planned for the future. Also, as a member of NATO, Estonia is required to provide elementary radar coverage on its territory and to some extent also outside of the Alliance’s external border. Minister of defence Jaak Aaviksoo expressed hope that the joint procurement with Finland creates good premise for future joint procurements. “Several priorities of the Estonian National defence development plan for 2009-2018 – air surveillance and defence, communications and command systems, rapid response capability – overlap with the long-term planning directions of Finnish national defence,” noted Aaviksoo.

According to Finland’s Minister of Defence, Jyri Häkämies, the joint radar procurement with Estonia benefits both parties. “Combining our procurements is very economical financially. And the cooperation, in terms of procurements and equipment, also strengthens the relations between Estonia’s and Finland’s national defence structures,” said Minister of Defence Häkämies.

For Estonia, the procurement totals MEEK 350, to be paid based on a flexible schedule for payments during the period 2009-2014. Since Finland and Estonia have procured a total of 14 radar systems, the producer can, thanks to production efficiency, offer the systems at very reasonable prices – technically Estonia gets two radar systems for the price of one thanks to the joint procurement with Finland.

The Thales-Raytheon Systems Ground Master 403 radar systems are capable of detecting aircraft at a range of up to 470 km and at an altitude of up to 30 km. These are mobile systems, meaning that when necessary the radar can be relocated from its permanent position and set up elsewhere within an hour.

In addition to two primary radar systems, the procurement includes secondary radar systems, generators for the radar systems, containers, vehicles, training and radomes (domes to cover the radar systems when they are in their stationary positions).

According to the procurement contract, Thales-Raytheon Systems has the obligation to make offset purchases with a procurement contract of similar scope from Estonian enterprises. Preferable for the offset purchases would be areas such as research and development, strategic goods and high-tech goods.

This way, the radar procurement also provides support for the development of innovative and high-tech industries in Estonia. The spectrum of the offset purchases reaches from the export of products and services, research and development, investments and technology transfers to corresponding marketing support.

The Estonian and Finnish Ministries of Defence concluded a Memorandum of Understanding in October 2007, for carrying out the joint radar procurement. According to the memorandum, the Finnish Air Force, with the participation of the Estonian Ministry of Defence and experts of the Defence Forces, prepared an invitation for tender to determine the most suitable radar system. One of the priorities of the National defence development plan for 2009-2018, which was approved by the government in January 2009, is the further development of the reconnaissance, surveillance and early warning systems of the Estonian Defence Forces. The procurement for the air surveillance radar systems is the first of the larger procurements planned in the recently approved development plan.

Finland Looking At Taurus, But May Buy JASSM / Finland Getting Top US Missiles?

Finland Looking At Taurus, But May Buy JASSM / Finland Getting Top US Missiles?

(NSI News Source Info) April 4, 2009: The Finnish Air Force is buying at least 200 million euros worth of new equipment for its F-18C Hornet jet fighters. American JASSM air-to-surface missiles may become the latest addition to Finnish fleets.

The JASSM project began in 1995 after the cancellation of the AGM-137 TSSAM project. The TSSAM was designed as a high precision stealthy missile for use at stand-off ranges, but poor management of the project resulted in rising costs. Since the requirement for such weapons still existed, the military quickly announced a follow-up project with similar goals. Initial contracts for two competing designs were awarded to McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed Martin in 1996, and the missile designations AGM-158A and AGM-159A were allocated to the two weapons. Lockheed Martin's AGM-158A won and a contract for further development was awarded in 1998. The AGM-158A is powered by a Teledyne CAE J402 turbojet. While carried the wings are folded to reduce size, flipping out on launch. There is a single vertical tail. Guidance is via inertial navigation with updating from a global positioning system. Target recognition and terminal homing is via an imaging infrared seeker. A data link allows the missile to transmit its location and status during flight, allowing improved bomb damage assessment. Accuracy is extremely good. The warhead is a WDU-42/B 450 kg (1000 lb) penetrator. The JASSM will be carried by a wide range of aircraft - the F-15E, F-16, F/A-18, F-35, B-1B, B-2 and B-52 are all intended to carry the weapon.

The government’s financial affairs committee gave the go-ahead on Wednesday to buy the weapons from the US Navy. The hardware includes long-range air-to-ground missiles.

The upgrade is part of a 17-year development programme with a total price tag of about one billion euros.

Under the plan, the entire fleet of Hornet jets will be updated by the end of 2016. The need for updating was already known when the decision was made to buy the US-made planes in 1992. Two agreements on industrial cooperation are linked with the deal. The Finnish Patria Aviation will install the devices.

Top-of-the-line missiles

Finnish defense officials expect the US to sell Finland its top-of-the-line JASSM air-to-surface missiles as part of the upgrade programme for the country's fleet of F-18 Hornet jet fighters. According to a Defense Ministry memo accessed by YLE, both the JASSM and the German-Swedish Taurus missile are under consideration.

In February 2007, the United States declined to sell JASSM missiles to Finland, which at the time was seen by some as a sign of political mistrust.

The JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile) is an autonomous, long-range, conventional, air-to-ground, precision standoff missile for the U.S. Air Force and Navy. JASSM is designed to destroy high-value, well-defended, fixed and relocatable targets. JASSM's significant standoff range keeps Air Force and Navy aircrews well out of danger from hostile air defense systems. The missile's mission effectiveness approaches single-missile target kill capability. With this superior performance and affordable price, JASSM offers the best value of any weapon in its class.

Officially it was denied that there was any friction between the two countries. Later there was speculation that the US had been experiencing technical problems with the missiles and so put a freeze on sales abroad.