Following the news that the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) are seeking to spend around €14 million on a large fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict;

James Marques, Associate Aerospace, Defence and Security Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“Finland intends to acquire anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 UAVS for surveillance and target acquisition. These UAVs will be distributed among all three branches of the military and are required to be operable across all weather conditions and various environments – being able to offer coverage across all of Finland. Applications for the tender are being accepted until 9 May, and the new platform is expected to enter service by late 2023.

“The announcement is short on further details but given the specifications and mission profile outlined by the Finnish military, it is certain they are looking for a small and lightweight UAV, portable enough to be deployed by infantry in the Army, small vessels in the Navy, and used to acquire targets for the Air Force. The large number that Finland hopes to buy suggests they will be a commonplace and perhaps expendable asset, available at the small-unit level and intended for use in contested airspace where the loss of one may be worth the intelligence it provides. The value of this type of UAV is already well-appreciated by other militaries, with the UK, the US and Chinese militaries recently purchasing models with similar capabilities.

“Finland will be observing the war in Ukraine closely and noting the extensive use of UAVs by both sides for locating and zeroing-in on ground targets for artillery, air and missile attacks. The smaller and cheaper these unmanned systems are, the more they act as force multipliers for troops on the ground who can learn how to use them quickly and afford to lose them if the intelligence they can provide is deemed worth the risk.

“The procurement is part of a much wider increase in Finnish defense expenditure, as the country is also poised to apply for NATO membership – in this light, Finland would be wise to consider interoperability with their new allies, for which there are many options on a market worth $9.9 billion in 2022, set to grow to $17.7 billion by 2031. The Prox Dynamics Black Hornet and Aerovironment Raven are examples of similar UAVs already in use by NATO militaries.”