2022
Joint EU project led by Finland develops the Finnish Army’s arctic mobility
The European Commission has granted approximately EUR 95 million in funding from the European Defence Fund (EDF) to an industrial consortium that is developing future vehicle solutions for the ground forces of nine European countries.
Finland, Belgium, Denmark, Latvia, Norway, France, Austria, Greece and Spain signed a letter of intent on the development of next-generation armoured vehicles in December 2021. Led by Finland, the signatories to the letter of intent supported the project proposal of the joint European industrial consortium (FAMOUS 2, European Future Highly Mobile Augmented Armoured Systems 2). The aim of the project proposal is to improve the performance of new and existing armoured vehicles. Led by Patria, the industrial consortium includes a total of 18 European companies.
The funding is granted from the European Defence Fund, which was launched in 2021 with the aim of enhancing the competitiveness, efficiency and capacity for innovation of the European defence industry and research community. The fund’s total budget for the period 2021–2027 is approximately EUR 8 billion and it is funded under the EU budget.
“I am pleased that this project led by Finland and the Finnish defence industry has been awarded such a significant amount of funding from the European Defence Fund, and that Finnish defence ecosystem participants have also been active in a broader sense in applying for EDF funding in 2021. This shows that there is demand for Finnish expertise, which will hopefully motivate companies to also participate in EDF project applications in the years to come,” says Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen.
“The war in Ukraine has fundamentally altered the security situation in Europe. It is now more important than ever to work together to develop the capabilities necessary for European defence and our national defence. The European Defence Fund strengthens the European and Finnish defence industry and defence technology foundation for building better security in Europe.”
Developing mobility through a joint project led by Finland
The FAMOUS 2 project is a follow-up to the FAMOUS 1 project, for which the European Commission granted EUR 9 million in funding in June 2020 under the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP), the precursor to the European Defence Fund. The funding now awarded, and additional national funding granted by the participating countries, will be used to continue the project into its next phase, which will include the design and development of the actual vehicles and vehicle systems.
The areas of technology being developed are related to, for example, mobility, energy production, protection, improved situational awareness, autonomy, weapons system development, and improved maintainability.
In Finland, the project is connected to the development of the Finnish Army’s arctic mobility in a project seeking a new vehicle solution to replace the existing fleet of all-terrain vehicles that is becoming obsolete and will be decommissioned. The results of the ongoing feasibility study will be used to create a vehicle concept that will be developed into a prototype with the help of the funding that has now been awarded.
“The new vehicle solution developed under the joint project is intended to provide a high-capability foundation for mobility in the coming decades, especially in the demanding weather and terrain conditions of the northern region. The new vehicle system is required to feature excellent tactical and operational mobility. The aim is for the new vehicle to be developed over the next few years, and the subsequent procurement decisions will be made later,” says Inspector of Infantry, Colonel Juhana Skyttä from the Army Command.
Projects supported by the Defence Administration
In addition to the aforementioned FAMOUS 2 project, the Defence Administration is involved in two other projects that received funding in the 2021 EDF application round. The two projects are the ENGRT project concerning next-generation Vertical Lift Off and Landing systems and the iFURTHER project pertaining to the development of an EU-level High Frequency (HF) Over The Horizon sensor system. Only one project supported by the Defence Administration was left on the reserve list.
Finnish entities are also involved in eight other projects, which means that the participants of projects funded by the Commission include 20 different Finnish entities in 11 industrial consortia and their subcontracting chains. The projects in question are set to receive approximately EUR 390.7 million in funding from the Commission in total. Finnish participation has increased substantially compared to the applications submitted in 2020 to the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP), when the funded projects involved a total of 12 Finnish companies in 11 industrial consortia and the related subcontracting chains.
More information on the European Defence Fund:
The European Defence Fund is a programme that was launched in 2021 and is funded from the EU budget. The EDF aims to enhance the competitiveness, efficiency and capacity for innovation of the European defence industry and research community. At the same time, the creation of the Fund supports the goal of strengthening the EU’s integrated and open single market.
The Defence Fund consists of research and development packages, and the Fund can be used to support joint efforts to develop capabilities across Member States. The activities supported cover the entire research and development cycle of defence materiel.
The total budget of the EDF is approximately EUR 8 billion for the current multiannual financial framework period 2021–2027. Approximately one-third of the budget is allocated to research and approximately two-thirds to development measures.
The Defence Fund may provide funding for activities in the defence research and development phase that deal with the development of new defence products, technologies and knowledge, or for updating existing products and technologies.
More information on all-terrain vehicles/all-terrain carriers
The Finnish Army’s previous press release
Further information:
Ministry of Defence: Senior Specialist Anna Oksanen, anna.oksanen@gov.fi, tel. +358 295 140 060.
Army Command: Inspector of Infantry, Colonel Juhana Skyttä, juhana.skytta@mil.fi, tel. +358 299 800 (switchboard).