Weapons control systems for the Finnish Army

Kongsberg Protech has signed a contract with Patria Vehicles Oy of Finland valued at approximately MNOK 145 for weapons control systems for the Finnish Army's armoured personnel carriers. Made by Patria, the vehicles are wheeled and the Finnish Army has ordered 62 of them. KONGSBERG will be providing the systems in 2006 and 2007. Prior to that, the systems will be further developed and adapted to Finnish specifications.

Finland will be the fourth country to deploy KONGSBERG's weapons control system. So far, the system has been delivered to Norway, the USA and Australia. The weapons control system for Finland will be a more advanced version of a system that has been delivered for more than 700 US Army vehicles. With a framework of roughly NOK 2 billion, the US programme began in 2000 and deliveries are still in progress.

"The contract will help ensure favourable development for both the system and the company, at the same time as it is obvious that we have a system well able to face international competition", states Egil Haugsdal, president of Kongsberg Protech.

The principle underlying KONGSBERG's weapons control system is that a soldier can operate an exterior weapon from inside an armoured personnel carrier, thus remaining protected from enemy fire.