2019
Joint Nordic project supplementing the Defence Forces’ current combat uniforms to proceed to test phase
Launched in 2016, the Nordic Combat Uniform (NCU) project has progressed to field testing. The project is part of the Nordic defence cooperation (NORDEFCO) and aims to provide Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark with a uniform combat outfits that meet the future battlefield requirements. NCU is the first Nordic joint procurement in the field of defence materiel. In winter 2019-2020, the project will proceed to a phase where information is collected on the functionality of different tenderers' uniforms in field conditions.
In Finland, the NCU combat outfit is intended for a limited number of troops and does not aim to replace the M05 camouflage uniform currently in use. The M05 will remain the main combat uniform for the Defence Forces’ personnel in the near future. The maintenance of NCU clothing would be arranged at the Defence Forces' own uniform repair shop. As the Nordic combat uniform is still under way as a project, it is not possible to estimate the domestic content of the procurement at this stage.
The majority of the outfits used in the Defence Forces are purchased in Finland. Alongside the reform project on combat uniforms, the Defence Forces will develop the combatant’s resilience in a variety of ways; it will be improved, for example, by purchasing protective masks and helmets and by introducing domestic M17 protective vests.
More detailed information on the progress and test phase of the combat uniform project is available in the joint press release of the Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish Defence Forces.
Inquiries: Sanna Laaksonen, Special Adviser, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 295 140 417.