The Hamina-class of the Finnish Navy is the most capable missile boat of today. These
multi-role vessels can conduct anti-surface, anti-submarine, and anti-air warfare missions
effectively. Designed according to the specific needs of Finland, they differ significantly
from their many counterparts in the world. As the Weapon Detective, we are investigating
the Hamina-class, the defender of the Finnish coasts.
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In terms of its capabilities, the Hamina-class is a miniaturized corvette rather than a missile
boat. It is one of the best littoral warfare vessels. The Hamina-class is the latest representative
of the Finnish fast attack craft design tradition. To better understanding this boat, let's take
a look at the history of this tradition. After the Second World War ended, the western
policymakers had seen the geopolitical importance of this country, but their countries were
war-weary. So, Helsinki realized that it could not trust
western support in a possible Soviet invasion. On the other hand, the stubborn and skilful
Finnish troops had allowed only one Prius Victory to the mighty Red Army in the Winter
War. So, Stalin did not want to repeat this humiliating
experience. Besides, a neutral Helsinki with good relations with the Soviet Union was a
preferable option for Moscow. Thus, Finland would turn into a buffer zone with the West,
and many Soviet troops could be redeployed from the Leningrad Military District to Central
Europe. Keeping Finland as a neatural country was
the best solution for both sides. The 1947 Paris Peace Treaties limited the
Finnish Navy to a fleet of no more than 10,000 tons and 4,500 men. Also, this naval force
would not have offensive weapons, such as torpedoes, submarines, mines and missiles.
To keep the balance, in the beginning, Finland bought vessels from both the Western and Eastern
blocks. After a while, it began to design and build
some naval ships domestically. Helsinki managed to convince both sides of
its neutrality. So, in the 1960s, the Finnish Navy was allowed to have missiles and mines.
In 1968, Finland initially laid down Isku as a training vessel. She commissioned two
years later. Isku had four P-15 Termit anti-ship missiles, whose NATO reporting name SS-N-2
Styx. After trials, the Finnish Navy decided to
acquire the Osa II-class missile boats from the USSR. Four vessels, which had been equipped
with locally developed electronics, commissioned between 1974 and 1975. Initially, Finland
had planned to procure five additional Osa IIs, defined as Tuima-class in this country.
But, in 1976, Helsinki decided to design and build indigenous missile boats.
So, Finland ordered four Helsinki-class missile boats in 1978.
Four vessels of this class were commission between 1981 and 1986. Different from the
Tuima-class, which had P-15 missiles, the Helsinki class was equipped with the RBS 15
missiles. By using the experience from these boats,
Finland began to work on the Rauma-class in 1987.
These new vessels would be equipped with the water jet propulsion system, which provides
good manoeuvrability and can operate in very shallow waters. Also, they would be designed
to reduce their magnetic, thermal, radar and acoustic signatures. With the Rauma-class,
the Finnish shipyards gained the capability of designing and building modern missile boats.
Four vessels of this class were commissioned between 1990 and 1992.
As the next step, the Finnish Navy initiated the Squadron 2000 Programme.
Initially, Finland considered commissioning two Hamina-class vessels and four Tuuli-class
hovercrafts. After a while, the Finnish Navy abandoned
the building programme of the Tuuli-class hovercraft, which would have the Umkhonto
air defence missile. So, it increased the number of the Hamina-class
to four. Now, these boats would be equipped with the Umkhontos.
The first vessel of the class, FNS Hamina, was commissioned in 1998.
Until 2006, the Finnish Navy commissioned three other Hamina-class boats.
All of them were built by Aker Yards Oy. The Hamina-class has a stealth design. The
hull is made of aluminium, and the superstructure is the carbon fibre reinforced composite.
Using extensive composite materials also help to reduce the displacement of the boat. The
metal parts are coated with radar-absorbing material. To further reduce radar cross-section,
the missiles are positioned inside the boat. Except for the bridge, there is no window
on the vessel, and there are conductive sealing on the doors and hatches to prevent electromagnetic
leakage. The exhaust gas of the propulsion system can
be directed either below the surface to minimize thermal signature or above the surface to
reduce acoustic signature. The water jets of the Hamina-class, which
provides good manoeuvrability and can operate in very shallow waters, also reduce the acoustic
and electromagnetic signature. To further reduce the noise level, the main
machinery is placed onto resilient mountings. The Hamina-class can be operated in the CBRN
environment. According to official data of the Finnish
Navy, the complement of the Hamina-class is 27-person. The boat has a length of 51 metres,
a beam of 8 metres, and a draught of 2 metres. Its fully loaded displacement is 250 tons.
The propulsion system of the vessel consists of two 3,750 horsepower MTU 16V 538 TB93 diesel
engines and two Kamewa 90SII water jets. Its maximum speed is 30 knots. The range is 925
kilometres. The Hamina-class has four RBS 15 anti-ship missiles, eight Umkhonto air
defence missiles, one 57mm SAK Mk3 gun, and two 12.7mm NSV machine guns. It can be equipped
with depth charges, and it can lay sea mines. Now the Hamina-class boats are being modernized
by Patria. We will mention the changes one by one when we introduce the electronics and
weapon systems. The C-band TRS-3D phased array surveillance
radar of the Hamina-class has a range of up to 200 kilometres. It can track 750 targets.
This radar can also perform the weapon control function at a range of 21 kilometres.
Yet, the weapon systems are controlled by the Ku-band CEROS 200 radar and optronic tracking
fire control director. The TRS-3Ds and CEROS 200s of the vessels
are now being updated within the ongoing modernization works.
Also, the Atlas ANCS 2000 combat system of the Hamina-class is being replaced with the
Saab 9LV combat management system. The Hamina-class can perform anti-submarine
warfare missions in shallow waters, thanks to the Toadfish high-frequency active sonar
and the Sonac / PTA low-frequency towed sonar. The Kongsberg ST2400 is replacing the Sonac
/ PTA towed sonar. These boats are equipped with the Multi Ammunition
Softkill System, shortly MASS, for self-defence system. The MASS can protect the vessel from
anti-ship missile attacks by launching decoys that operate in all relevant wavelengths of
the electromagnetic spectrum, such as ultraviolet, electro-optical, laser, infrared and radar.
The Hamina-class were originally equipped with the RBS 15 Mk II anti-ship missiles,
which defined as MTO 85 by the Finnish Navy. The RBS 15 Mk II has an advanced guidance
system, which allows radar seeker to be used effectively even when the missile conducted
8 g evasive manoeuvres. This version has a composite fuselage, which reduces the radar
and infrared signature of the missile. The missile, which has a 200-kilogram high-explosive
blast and pre-fragmented warhead, can reach a range of 150 kilometres.
The RBS 15 Mk IIs of the Hamina-class are being replaced with the Gabriel V missiles,
which has an advanced active multi-spectral seeker designed for cluttered littoral environments.
Its range is more than 200 kilometres. Thanks to its GPS and INS navigation systems, the
Gabriel V can be used against land targets. The Umkhonto IR air defence missile, which
is designated as ITO 2004 by the Finnish Navy, can engage eight targets simultaneously at
the range of 14 kilometres. It has a maximum speed of Mach 2.2 and an effective altitude
of 8,000 metres. The infrared-guided missile, which has a 23-kilogram warhead, can perform
40 g manoeuvres. Initially, the Finnish Navy had planned to
equipped the Hamina-class boats with a 40mm gun. But, later, these vessels were fitted
with a 57mm SAK Mk3 gun. This gun has a rate of fire of 200 rounds per minute and a maximum
effective range of 17,000 metres. However, the current modernization programme
has caused some extra weight. To balance this weight, the Finnish Navy decided
to replace the SAK Mk3s on the vessels with the lighter 40mm Mk4 guns.
This gun, whose reaction time is less than 0.5 seconds, can fire the 3P programable airburst
munitions. Also, the manually operated 12.7mm machine
guns of the Hamina-class are being replaced with the Trackfire remote-controlled weapon
station of Saab. In 2018, the restriction for the use of the
torpedo was lifted for the Finnish Navy. So, Finland decided to equip its Hamina-class
boats with Swedish-made anti-submarine warfare torpedoes.
The modernized Hamina-class vessel, FNS Tornio, was delivered to the Finnish Navy in 2020.
Why are the small missile boats so important for the Finnish Navy?
Finland is a country with a small population in a vast area. The Finnish Defence Forces
can defend the national sovereignty against a big enemy by using an asymmetric approach.
A big surface combatant needs a huge crew. Due to its big draft, it cannot operate in
shallow waters easily. A frigate or destroyer is big, which means it is a big target. Also,
it is expensive. A stealth missile boat can be operated by
a small crew. This small surface combatant is a difficult target to detect and hit. Besides
its low radar cross-section, It can hide behind the islets and rocks. A missile boat carries
the same anti-ship missiles with a big surface combatant's. So, its offensive capability
is the same. A country can have a large number of missile boats with the same money, which
has to spend on a single frigate or destroyer. Thus, it can defend a larger area.
Many of the missile boats in the world do not have anti-submarine warfare capability.
But, the Hamina-class can also hunt the submarines. These boats can blockade sea routes of an
amphibious assault force or naval strike force by laying sea mines.
Due to its limited human resource, Finland cannot win a possible war against a country
with a huge army. During the 1939 Winter War, brave and skilful
Finnish troops had become a nightmare for the Soviet Army.
But, in the end, Finland, which had not received sufficient foreign support, had to accept
the defeat. In a possible war, Finland cannot dominate
the surrounding sea by itself against a big navy for a long time. But, it can gain time
for foreign support or daunt its enemy. The best instrument of this tactic is the
missile boats. The biggest enemy of a missile boat is the
aircraft and helicopters. But, different from many counterparts in the
world, the Hamina-class can also fight against them.
Supporting with coast artillery and missile batteries, as well as the Finnish Air Force,
these small surface combatants are the biggest deterrent elements of the Finnish Navy.
Of course, comparing with the bigger surface combatants, the small size of the Hamina-class
also brings some disadvantages, like range and endurance. But, please forget that this
boat was designed for defensive purpose. The Finnish Navy does not plan to attack or blockade
a country far away by using its Hamina-class boats.
Different jobs require different vessels. In near future, Finland will commission the
Pohjanmaa-class corvettes to support multinational overseas operations.
The Hamina-class is stealth. It can fight against ships, aircraft, and submarines. Thanks
to new Gabriel V missiles, these boats can conduct land attacks. They are the naval systems,
which efficiently answer Finland's defensive requirements. With these features, the Hamina-class
is currently one of the best missile boats in the world.
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