1.9.2009

FINNISH AIR FORCE’S EXPEDITIONARY UNIT DEPLOYS TO GERMANY FOR EVALUATION

The Finnish Air Force’s expeditionary unit of six F-18 Hornet fighters and around 250 personnel deploys during August and September to the German Air Force base in Trollenhagen, Northern Germany, for evaluation. The unit has undergone extensive training both in Finland and abroad over the past two years.

The unit was stood up in accordance with the guidelines of the 2004 Government Report on Security and Defense Policy, which calls for the Air Force to create by 2010 a capability to participate in combined crisis management operations provided this participation is authorized by the Government.

In Germany, a multinational evaluation team will assess the unit’s capabilities in the air defense role against the performance criteria set by Nato. The primary objective in this assessment will be the unit’s ability to conduct air-to-air operations such as the enforcement of a no-fly zone in an area of crisis management operations.

Three foreign detachments practise together with the Finns during the evaluation. All these detachments together emulate a combined air component tasked with operations that contribute to a crisis management effort.

The results of the evaluation and associated feedback will become available to the Finnish Defense Forces before the year’s end.

The main body of the unit’s personnel deploys to Germany in early September, to return during the second half of that month. Most of the unit’s strength consists of active duty personnel.

04.06.2009 15:20

Air Force Covers Army in Main Exercise Landslide 2009

The Finnish Air Force participates with its F-18 Hornets and Hawks in the main exercise of the Finnish Defence Forces led by the commander of the Finnish Army. The Air Force will deploy maximum of 22 Hornets and six Hawks in the exercise along with Learjet and Casa transports.
The aim of the exercise is to test the striking capability of the Air Force and its operational procedures in joint operations. The Air Force supports Army and Navy operations with defensive counter air fighter missions.

Air Force units operate from the bases at Tikkakoski, Rissala, Kuorevesi, and Kauhava and they consist of regular personnel augmented by conscripts and reservists called up to service. Land operation scenarios have also been designed to exercise cooperation between services and branches. The objective is to improve the sharing of situational awareness between the command echelons of the services and to make the process of building and using of joint operational air picture more effective. A new air surveillance reporting system is on test use in Exercise Radio Spark .

Cooperation with civilian authorities like the police and rescue services is conducted in operations at the exercise bases.

The strength of the Air Force in the exercise is around 2300 military personnel, of which 1600 are reservists, 500 are of regular personnel and 200 are conscripts under training.

In the early phase the focus of flight operations is on the west coast of Finland and on the regions of Kuopio and Tampere while the Army manoeuvres mainly in the surroundings of Niinisalo. As the exercise moves to its subsequent phases, the emphasis of flight operations will be on the area between Kuopio and Kajaani. Some missions are to be performed at low altitude. Primarily flight operations are carried out during daytime and in the evenings.

Air-to-Air Refueling Training for Hornet Pilots at Pirkkala

28 th April, 2009

The Finnish Air Force (FINAF) stages at its Pirkkala base from 2 to 8 May an exercise during which the service’s Hornet pilots are trained on air-to-air refueling (AAR).

Trainees are flight instructors and fully mission qualified aircrew members from the FINAF’s Satakunta, Lapland, and Karelia Air Commands. The first batch consists of pilots slated to take up positions in the FINAF’s expeditionary unit.

The training objective is to create within the FINAF a pool of pilots qualified to participate in international operations as part of a combined air component on a separate decision following the guidelines laid down in the Government Report on Security and Defense Policy 2004. This requires AAR capability among other novel demands.

Training sorties are conducted using a total of twelve Boeing F-18 Hornets, while the number of technical personnel involved in the exercise is about twenty. The tanker is a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) based with the 100th Air Refueling Wing at Mildenhall, Britain. Most sorties will be flown in airspace to the north of Tampere.

Training is sourced from the USAFE within the framework of the Foreign Military Sales program sponsored by the United States Goverment. The services to be provided will enable Finnish pilots to qualify for AAR and maintain their qualifications between 2009 and 2011. In addition to this spring’s exercise in Pirkkala, two ab-initio training events are planned for this period. The ability thus attained will be maintained during combined air exercises.

The provisions of the contract also allow the use of AAR assets outside the Finnish territory to meet various requirements such as ferry and positioning flights.

Finnish pilots have been trained for AAR since the early 2000s in conjunction with combined exercises in Finland’s airspace.

The Only Surviving Brewster in the World Highlights the Finnish Air Force’s 90th Anniversary

6th March, 2008

To highlight the Finnish Air Force’s 90th Anniversary, the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida, has loaned the world’s only surviving Brewster fighter to be displayed in the collection of the Central Finland Aviation Museum.

The Brewster entered service in the United States in 1937 as the Navy’s first monoplane fighter, but achieved little combat success. After the outbreak of the Winter War Finland attempted to bolster her modest combat aircraft fleet by undertaking emergency purchases, which included the sourcing of 44 Brewsters from the United States. They were flown to Finland in March and April 1940. Air Squadron 22 flew approximately twenty missions with the Brewsters, yet did not succeed in engaging the enemy.

The Finns enjoyed air supremacy during the offensive phase of the Continuation War, much to the credit of the Brewster. The type intially equipped Air Squadron 24, which achieved 459 victories for the loss of 15 own aircraft. In May 1944 the remaining Brewsters were allocated to Air Squadron 26 and bagged a further 21 enemy aircraft, losing four of their own number. The key to the Finns’ combat success was in their modern fighter tactics and in a training system which put an emphasis on marksmanship. Finland has the world’s largest number of fighter aces in proportion to population.

The aircraft now in display, BW-372, sank into Lake Kolejärvi in the territory of the present-day Russia after Lauri Pekuri ditched it on June 25, 1942, then walked across the lines to the Finnish side. Pekuri later gained fame test-flying more than one hundred aircraft types; among his feats, he was the first pilot to exceed the speed of sound in Finland in a Folland Gnat at Luonetjärvi on July 28, 1958.

Search for Pekuri’s Brewster started in the 1990s on the initiative of the Chief Justice of Court of Appeal Mr. Heimo Lampi, himself a war-time fighter ace. The wreckage was located and raised in 1998. The National Naval Aviation Museum acquired the aircraft into its collection in 2004. This Brewster, the sole remaining example of its type, is expected to stay in Tikkakoski for three and a half years, during which time it will undergo limited restoration.

Finland Purchases 18 Jet Trainers from Switzerland

28 June 2007

Finland boosts its Hawk fleet by purchasing eighteen second-hand BAES Hawk 66 jet trainers with maintenance tools and spares from Switzerland. The purchase was announced by the Minister of Defence Jyri Hakamies earlier today. The value of the contract is approximately 40 million euros, which equals the price of two new Hawk-category trainers.

The Finnish Air Force’s current Hawks will reach the end of their lifespan between 2017 and 2019. The Swiss airframes have flown less than one fifth of their maximum flight hours, which translates into 90,000 flight hours remaining, which in turn equals fifteen years of operation in Finnish Air Force service. The same number of flight hours could be attained by nine new Hawk-category aircraft. The purchase now finalized allows the service more time to plan its future flight training arrangements and enables cooperation in this field with other European air forces.

Finland placed an order for fifty Hawk 51s as early as 1977, the first aircraft being handed over in 1980. In 1990 the Finnish Air Force acquired seven Hawk 51As as attrition replacement. The service has forty-nine Hawks, which have undergone an extensive structural life-extension modification in Finland. An upgrade project in cooperation with the defense systems provider Patria is currently in its initial phases. Hawk training in the Finnish Air Force is consolidated in the Training Air Wing in Kauhava.

Switzerland bought twenty Hawks in 1992. Compared with Finnish aircraft, they have minor differences primarily in the power plant, avionics, and weapon system. Since the aircraft saw only limited use in Switzerland the Swiss put eighteen aircraft up for sale in 2002.

The first EADS CASA C-295M arrives in Finland

5 March 2007

The highlight of the 89th anniversary of the Finnish Air Force on March 6 is the arrival of the service´s first EADS CASA C-295M transport aircraft in Finland. The Air Force has placed an order for two Spanish transports to replace the current Fokker F.27s.

The quickly reconfigurable C-295M are ideally suited for the transport of troops and material both in Finland and abroad as part of international missions. They will also be available for medical and other evacuation tasks in connection with civil crisis management missions.

Quality Certificate Strengthens Training Air Wing’s Position in Multinational Flight Training Business

17 January 2007

The Training Air Wing (TAW) at Kauhava, providing fighter pilot training, was awarded the international ISO 9000:2000 Quality Certificate for its excellent operation.

The Commander of the Finnish Air Force Lieutenant General Heikki Lyytinen believes that the certificate strengthens the position of the TAW in multinational training business. There is every prospect that the TAW will become an international fighter pilot training centre. The certificate indicates the high standard of training for governments interested in acquiring flight training.

Training of officer pilots begins on a conscript pilot training course in the Air Force Academy at Tikkakoski. After completing the course the students have the possibility to apply for a cadet course in the National Defence College. Air Force cadets are given basic and lead-in training with Hawk jet trainers in the Training Air Wing, and in the end of the course students become qualified officer pilots. The majority of the pilots continue with fighter pilot training by the Hornet in the Air Commands. Thanks to the high quality of Hawk training the pilots are fully prepared for operational fighter training, so the amount of costly flight training hours with the Hornet remains relatively small.

According to the Chief Assessor Timo Pajunen from Lloyd´s Register Quality Assurance the operations of the TAW are thoroughly well organised and planned and the TAW deserves a special mention for the procedures in result-oriented assessment and giving of feedback as well as recording of assessment.

The annual number of incident reports totalling 5 000 to 6000 clearly reflects the efforts of Finnish military aviation to improve the quality of its operations and is indicative of a low reporting threshold and a willingness to react to own mistakes and to develop operation. This is also the way to improve flight safety. Many big European air forces have ten times lower reporting numbers, although, presumably, the amount of incidents is considerably higher.

The Air Force Quality Manager Henry Sivusuo points out that the Air Force has for a long time focused on the quality of the operation in all its units including Kauhava. By participating in Finland’s Quality Award Competition the Air Force units have increased openness and transparency of their operation. The slogan of the Air Force “Qualitas Potentia Nostra”, which have been used since 1968, is justified also today.

Air Force Hawk Crashes in Kruunupyy

2 October 2006

A Hawk lead-in trainer crashed off the southern end of the runway at Kruunupyy Airport at approximately 2220 hours on September 28. The pilot had just initiated climb following a practice instrument approach when he heard a loud bang and the engine flamed out. Restart attempts failed so he elected to eject, escaping uninjured.

The Finnish Air Force Acquires a Support System for Operational Command, Control and Planning

2 August 2006

Insta DefSec, AffectoGenimap and SysOpenDigia supply a support system for the operational command, control and planning of the Finnish Air Force. The first phase of the project stretches over a period of three years, and the investment in it is approximately 4.5 million euros.

Utilizing modern information technology, the system enhances the production and maintenance of planning, command and control, and situation picture creation processes on the highest echelon of air defense. The system, which is tailored to meet the demands of operational command and control, will boost the total effectiveness of air defense significantly. It reduces times needed for planning and command and control cycles, brings additional flexibility, enhances situational awareness, and facilitates cooperation.

The project is aimed at building the first service to be incorporated in the Defense Forces’ new integrated intelligence, surveillance, and command and control system. The Air Force has an overall responsibility for the system’s hardware and main software structure in accordance with a streamlining program of the Defence Forces’ information systems management. The new system is based on service-centered architecture, which allows effective utilization of softwares that are in use elsewhere in the Defense Forces, and facilitates the use of the Air Force’s software by other Defense Forces operators.

Insta DefSec has overall responsibility for the project and special expertise needed to work as a partner of the Defense Forces. AffectoGenimap concentrates on the geographical information system, business intelligence, and the reporting properties of the project, while SysOpen Digia specializes in assurance of usability.

New Commander for Air Materiel Command

28 July 2006

The Chief of Defense Admiral Juhani Kaskeala has nominated Colonel (engineer) Hannu Lassila Commander of the Air Materiel Command as of 1 August, 2006. Previously Lassila held the post of Chief of the Technical Division of the Air Materiel Command. He was promoted colonel on 4 June, 2005.

Lassila’s predecessor sincre 1995, Colonel (engineer) Veijo Mustonen, joined Air Force reserve on 31 July, 2006.

A 1969 high-school graduate, Colonel Lassila completed his studies for a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering in 1975. He graduated from a Reserve Officer’s Course in 1976 and from an Engineering Officer’s Course in 1984, followed by a Senior Command Course in 2002. During 2005, he studied on a DGA (Délégation Générale our l’Armement) course for les directeurs du centre des hautes études de l’armement (SERA) in France.

Before joining the Defense Forces Colonel Lassila held positions in the Valmet Aircraft Factory and Finnair. His first assignment in the Defense Forces was that of an engineer in 1976. On 1 March, 1983, he joined the ranks of active duty personnel as an engineering officer. During his Air Force career he has served as engineer, head of section, chief of office, and chief of division.