Northern Finland to Become a Testing Ground for NATO Drones
Stora Enso’s former Kitee sawmill could become an indoor drone training range, and countermeasures against GPS jamming could be tested at Joensuu Airport.
Military technology tests could bring big money to Finland—“No one asks how much it costs,” says NATO liaison officer.
A Uniquely Quiet Location in Europe for Testing Military Equipment
Large-scale testing of new innovations in the military industry will begin in the Finnish province of North Karelia in the near future. This is what Jarkko Surakka, NATO liaison officer at the regional development company Business Joensuu, believes.
The use of drones, the prevention of GPS jamming, and the use of various new technologies require test sites, and North Karelia serves as an excellent base for this, he describes.
Test sites are currently being sought around the world where flying and other activities do not interfere with civilian life. For example, it is almost impossible to find an area in Central Europe where flight exercises could be carried out.
Today, there is space at quiet airports from Nurmes and Lieksa to Kitee, and the Joensuu Airport with its air traffic control enables test flights where drones are operated from several platforms. This is an advantage in testing.
“For example, ‘enemies’ can be simulated to operate from Kitee and ‘defense’ from Joensuu,” Surakka describes.
Testing Requires Airspace
Modern warfare requires extensive testing. Examples of such testing include data transmission, camera sensors, encryption, i.e., encoding messages into a secret format, and combating drones.
The background is the Borderland Europe Living Lab project, which was established to develop defense, dual-use, and border control technology in North Karelia.
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There is space in the skies of North Karelia, and there is also a demand for empty indoor spaces for testing. The lake environment of Eastern Finland is also suitable for water testing. There is relatively little traffic, for example in Pielinen.
The New Life of the Kitee Sawmill
In Kitee Puho, the former Stora Enso factory hall is one possible test site. The large building has been almost empty since 2019.
“Not everything can be done in plain sight, but the hall would serve as an indoor track for drone training and testing,” explains Surakka.
Leading research engineer Jeff Evans represents the US Georgia Tech research institute. Evans says that North Karelia can turn the quiet border region into a strength thanks to testing.
“The real conditions and the proximity of the eastern border make the area an attractive test site.”
Jarkko Surakka says that the technology used by NATO is tested in multiple stages before anything is put into use. In a real situation, everything has to work. Money is not a topic of conversation.
“The current situation is that no one asks how much these things cost, but they want the technology to be used quickly.”
Testing is not temporary, but continuous, as technology is developing rapidly.
“The time span of defense procurement has shortened, as today’s inventions will be obsolete in two years,” explains Surakka.
The people who carry out the tests come to Finland mainly from abroad, but local innovations may also find a way to become NATO subcontractors.
In addition to Joensuu airship manufacturer Kelluu, which is already involved in NATO innovation development, Jeff Evans sees opportunities for companies in the fields of photonics, optoelectronics, and optics, among others.
Source: Yle (in Finnish)