Finland Launches Third Pohjanmaa-Class Corvette: One Class Aims to Replace Six Ships

Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) launched the third Pohjanmaa-class multi-purpose corvette at its Rauma shipyard on October 29, 2026. The vessel is the third of four corvettes being built for the Finnish Navy under the Squadron 2020 (Laivue 2020) programme.

The class’s lead ship was launched in May 2025, and the second followed on May 21, 2026. The gap between the second and third launches narrowed to roughly five months, down from more than a year between the first two ships. RMC attributes the faster pace to experience gained along its production line. The fourth hull had its keel laid earlier this year and remains under construction, meaning all four corvettes are now moving through the yard at the same time.

RMC President and CEO Mika Nieminen credited the programme’s progress to cooperation between the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command, the Navy and Swedish defence company Saab. Brigadier General Engineering Juha-Matti Ylitalo, deputy chief at the Logistics Command, said the third launch “testifies to the excellent learning curve” achieved in the programme’s maritime performance work.

The corvettes measure 117 metres in length, 16.5 metres in beam and draw 5 metres, with a crew of 70. RMC’s announcement did not detail specific weapons or sensor fits, though Saab’s role as a weapons-system supplier for the class was confirmed.

Saab’s involvement extends beyond weapons: the company also supplies the combat management system for Sweden’s Visby-class corvettes, and that experience is seen as informing the sensor and command-and-control architecture now maturing on the Pohjanmaa class. On the shipyard side, having three hulls in different stages of construction simultaneously forces RMC to manage workforce and supply-chain planning in parallel, which is part of why the faster launch cadence is being read as a sign of industrial maturity rather than a one-off.

The Squadron 2020 programme is designed to consolidate the roles of six older Finnish Navy vessels — four Rauma-class fast attack craft and two Hämeenmaa-class minelayers — into a single multi-role corvette class. Unlike the ships they replace, the new corvettes are built for year-round operation in ice-covered waters, a capability that matters given how much of the northern Baltic freezes over during winter months. The design combines surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, air defence and minelaying in one hull.

The shipbuilding contract for all four corvettes was valued at roughly €647.6 million, with various estimates putting the programme’s total cost in the €1.2-1.3 billion range. RMC says the project has generated more than 3,600 person-years of direct employment in Finland so far. Delivery of the four ships to the Navy is planned in stages between 2027 and 2029.

Since Finland joined NATO in 2023, its naval investment in the Baltic Sea has become part of a broader conversation about deterrence on the alliance’s northern flank. Repeated incidents of damage to undersea cables and pipelines in the Baltic in recent years have pushed littoral states to strengthen underwater surveillance and response capacity, and Finland’s push toward multi-role corvettes fits that pattern: a single platform sensitive to both surface and subsurface threats also adds, indirectly, to patrol and response capacity for protecting critical undersea infrastructure. The programme offers a current example of how a small or mid-sized NATO navy approaches fleet modernisation through a single-class, multi-role design rather than maintaining several specialised hull types.

Sources

• Naval News, “Rauma Shipyard Launches Third Pohjanmaa-Class Corvette for the Finnish Navy,” October 29, 2026 — used for the launch, technical specifications and official statements. (navalnews.com)
• Statements by RMC CEO Mika Nieminen and Brigadier General Juha-Matti Ylitalo, as reported by Naval News — used for programme cooperation and employment figures.
• Background reporting on the Pohjanmaa-class programme (Naval News, Janes, Overt Defense archives) — used for contract value, the vessel classes being replaced and the delivery timeline.