Official press releases, news and speeches that the minister has held are located in this section. The Ministry of Defence publishes all of its press releases and news in Finnish and Swedish and many of them in English, too.
Press Releases
Finland’s satellite procurement proceeds
Finland’s Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen has authorised the Finnish Defence Forces to place an order for a satellite remote sensing system with the Finnish company Iceye Oy.
The procurement is based on a letter of intent signed between the Ministry of Defence and Iceye Oy in June. It comprises satellites and related technical arrangements and equipment that enable the Finnish Defence Forces to develop its independent surveillance capability in space. By collaborating with a Finnish company, the Defence Forces can deploy the capability swiftly and develop it further later on.
“This authorisation will set in motion the building of an independent space surveillance capability for Finland’s defence. It is a historic first step for the development of our defence capability, and it also has wider importance for industry and technology,” said Minister Häkkänen.
Iceye satellites can collect images and monitor any location on earth in all weather and lighting conditions. The data generated by the satellites can also be used by other authorities.
The overall value of the procurement without value added tax is about EUR 158 million. The procurement includes options that enable the Finnish Defence Forces to extend the satellites’ lifecycle and to expand the system. The employment effect of the contract in Finland will be about 36 person-years.
Inquiries: Antti Korpi, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 295 140 252, and Ville Tuokko, Chief of Public Affairs, Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command, tel. +358 299 800 (switchboard).