Finnish Corvette/Frigate program

[Sardaukar]

Interestingly, one of delays of building these quite powerful ships for their size is difficulty to get steel because of this embargo on Russians.

I don't think anything that is approx. 3900 t is corvette.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pohjanmaa-class_corvette

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/11/new-delays-for-finland-squadron-2020-pohjanmaa-corvette-program/

https://puolustusvoimat.fi/en/squadron-2020

https://www.defmin.fi/en/frontpage/administrative_branch/strategic_capability_projects/squadron_2020

We have quite interesting history about buying stuff from Israel. Got Spike, now Gabriel V for these "corvettes" and in future either Barak MX or David's Sling for high-altitde SAM.

Of course, co-operation goes back in days when SOLTAM mortars were designed in Finland (TAM in name meaning Finnish company Tampella). But I digress.

Some strategic considerations.

These ships with relatively heavy SAM armament (32x ESSM) are definitely designed to protect essential Finnish supply sea lines from Sweden. With Kaliningrad, south Baltic Sea won't be safe for shipping, so supply line would be from North Sea, rail from Swedish side of Gulf of Bothnia harbours and shipping from there across to Finnish harbours. Trucks can only move so much containers and we have different rail gauge than Sweden.

This equation will obviously change if (when) Finland and Sweden join NATO.

 

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Sardaukar

[lucklucky]

I usually follow this blog https://corporalfrisk.com

[Sardaukar]

He nowadays posts here too with nickname Frisky.

[lucklucky]

Nice, his site is quite nice to get other pov.