Finnish Defence Forces demonstrate Patria drone swarm controlled from two sites
The Finnish Defence Forces demonstrated autonomous systems developed by Finnish defence group Patria at a Finnish Navy event in Upinniemi, Finland, on 5 November, according to euro-sd.com.
Officials also used the event to announce that a new Unmanned Systems Company will be set up inside the Coastal Brigade at the beginning of next year, euro-sd.com reported.
Swarm controlled from two locations
Patria said its mission management system links different platforms into one multi-domain system. At the event, a so-called Multi-Domain swarm made up of Patria systems completed its assigned mission successfully, and was remotely controlled from two locations in Finland, according to the report.
The swarm included an unmanned surface vessel run with Patria's autonomy kit, which the company says can be quickly installed on virtually any sufficiently modern vessel. It also had a lightweight fixed-wing drone and a Patria ONE quadcopter. The quadcopter was launched from the aft deck of a Finnish Navy Jehu-class vessel.
According to the report, the systems can be used for surveillance, target acquisition or reconnaissance. They can also be operated in a so-called One-Way mode, in which they carry a warhead.
Navy and company statements
“The Navy aims to integrate unmanned systems into our naval defence, either as separate unmanned systems units or by integrating the unmanned systems to be acquired into operational units, such as combat vessels or intelligence units”
Mikko Leino, a Patria executive vice president who heads its Defence and Weapon Systems business area, said the company will keep investing in these systems. He said Patria sees itself as one of Europe's leading firms in autonomous systems, which is the company's own assessment.
Patria is a strategic partner of the Finnish Defence Forces and, according to euro-sd.com, has developed autonomous and unmanned systems consistently for several years. Militarnyi, which also covered the event, noted that Patria and Ukrainian company General Cherry planned joint drone production this year.
