Patria acquires a leading manufacturer of drone systems Nordic Drones

Patria has signed a bill of sale for the acquisition of the entire share capital of Nordic Drones Oy ('Nordic Drones'), a Finnish leading drone pilot trainer and manufacturer of drones designed for professional use. Nordic Drones has designed and delivered complete solutions and user training for various technical aerial photography as well as mapping, measurement, inspection, control and authority tasks for the needs of more than 100 companies and organizations. The company employs 10 people and is located in Muurame, Finland. The parties do not disclose the value of the acquisition. 

Driving Patria's growth strategy requires significant investments in product development, innovations and partnerships. What Patria offers also in the field of unmanned system solutions is constantly being developed. 

"Integrating the capabilities of unmanned systems into the defence system is a prerequisite when preparing for today’s threats of battlefield. Patria's strong development and research expertise as well as experience in autonomous systems, indirect fire systems and system integrations make our company a leading player in the field," says Jussi Järvinen, Executive Vice President of Patria’s Finland Division. "Nordic Drones' expertise in manufacturing professional drone systems for numerous customers is an excellent and logical reinforcement of Patria's Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) offering, which benefit our mutual and new customers in Finland and internationally, across all operating environments." 

Nordic Drones has been developing unmanned drone systems for over ten years.  The company has achieved a significant position as a partner for Nordic security authorities. "We have succeeded in developing internationally unique product systems with huge market potential.  We believe that Patria is the best partner to speed up our internationalization. In the future, we will also be able to offer even wider and more interesting solutions to our customers together with Patria," comments Pietari Sorri, Managing Director of Nordic Drones.  

The completion of the acquisition requires the approval of the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy (‘TEM’) and the related authority process has started. If the acquisition takes place, it will not affect the company's customer commitments, employment relationships or other commitments made by the company. The length of the official process is dependent on TEM, the approving authority in question. 

Media enquiries: 

Sirje Ahvenlampi-Hyvönen, Vice President, Group Communications, Patria, tel. +358 50 557 3822, [email protected] 

Further information: 

Jussi Järvinen, Executive Vice President, Finland Division, Patria, tel. +358 40 869 6625, [email protected] 
Pietari Sorri, Managing Director, Nordic Drones Oy, tel. +358 40 538 3621, [email protected]  

Patria is an international provider of defence, security and aviation life cycle support services, technology solutions and pilot training. Patria provides its aerospace and military customers with equipment availability, continuous performance development as well as selected intelligence, surveillance and management system products and services. Patria’s mission is to give its customers confidence in all conditions, and the vision is to be the #1 partner for critical operations on land, sea and air. Patria has several locations including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia and Spain. Patria employs over 3,000 professionals. Patria is owned by the State of Finland (50.1%) and Norwegian Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (49.9%). Patria owns 50% of Nammo, and together these three companies form a leading Nordic defence partnership. 
www.patriagroup.com 

Nordic Drones Oy develops and manufactures unmanned arial systems, i.e. drones for demanding professional use in Muurame, Finland. Its devices are used in various authority use in the security sector as well as data collection, mapping, measurement and inspection tasks. Its equipment is used in various authority aerial photography as well as in mapping, measuring and inspection tasks. Drones are mainly manufactured for various authorities, public organizations and numerous companies operating in various industries in Finland and abroad. Nordic Drones' strengths are the customer-specific customization of the products, controllability-related operating features and long flight time.
www.nordicdrones.fi