Patria aims for the top spot in drone systems

Patria's offering covers the entire chain

These elements create a whole that gives Patria good opportunities to aim for the top spot in drone solutions and succeed in international markets.

– In addition to drone platforms, Patria's solutions cover the entire chain required for mission execution, whether it is planning, command, payload management, result analysis, or integration into military systems, says Järvinen.

According to Järvinen, drones can be utilized, for example, in indirect fire control and various reconnaissance and surveillance tasks. Patria has offerings in all these defence areas.

Patria aims for a leading position in drone systems by leveraging its strong technological expertise and agile product development process

In indirect fire solutions, Patria has developed software for artillery fire control systems alongside its mortar systems.

– From the air, the drone sees the targets, allowing the system to automatically adjust indirect fire to the desired location, Järvinen mentions.

According to Järvinen, Patria's reconnaissance and surveillance solutions can be complemented with sensors installed on drones. The company's selection includes electronic reconnaissance ARIS systems and the passive radar system MUSCL.

Drones can also be used for targeting instead of traditional indirect fire, such as artillery or mortar shells. Here, Järvinen sees great potential because, when produced in mass, the price of a drone is comparable to that of an artillery shell. In the future, both drones carrying mass-produced explosives and traditional indirect fire weapon systems will be needed. This will provide battlefield leaders with a broader range of tools to perform various fire missions.
 

Patria's offering includes now three drone products

Jarkko Tikka, Director of Unmanned Systems at Patria, notes that integrated solutions are at the core of Patria's expertise in drone systems.

–  A drone is a flying platform to which various devices can be attached and payloads transported. However, we do not develop just platforms, but broader system-level solutions, Tikka summarizes.

With the acquisition, Patria's offering has expanded with three drone products. Thanks to their modular structure, they can be varied according to the needs of military and security authorities and integrated into other systems.

Patria SKY is a versatile multi-mission long-range UAV system designed in cooperation with professional security industry operators for demanding and high-level security use.

–  The typical payload of Patria SKY is a camera gimbal, whose video and image data is used, for example, in indirect fire control and locating enemy troops, says Tikka.

Patria ONE drone also has a modular structure, allowing payloads to be changed according to needs. If necessary, the device can be controlled by fiber optics, preventing enemy electronic interference. The typical use of Patria ONE is to transport explosives to the desired location.

–  Patria's approach to developing drone systems is that the explosives used in them are already in use by the defence forces. Thus, separate production lines or warehouses are not needed for drone explosives, says Jussi Järvinen.

Patria's selection also includes Patria GEO, a drone designed for terrain mapping. Thanks to its flight time of up to 74 minutes, it can map an area of over 100 hectares in one flight.

Product development considers Arctic conditions

Pietari Sorri, Director of Patria's Drones unit, says that in the defence sector, customers want comprehensive systems that include software and interfaces to other systems in addition to drones.

–  A drone is a lifecycle product just like a fighter jet. Performance requires user training and equipment maintenance and servicing for years to come. Patria can offer comprehensive services for this whole, Sorri says.

Patria develops drones with a modular structure and for Arctic conditions, taking into account the functionality of the controllers with gloves on and the cold resistance of the batteries

Sorri says that Patria's drone development has taken into account the challenging northern conditions. For example, the controllers have sufficiently large buttons in addition to touch screens, allowing precise control even with gloves on in cold weather.

–  We are constantly testing the cold resistance of batteries, Sorri mentions.

Temperatures fluctuating around zero degrees pose their own challenge for drones. According to Sorri, operational disruptions caused by freezing and moisture can be effectively prevented with the right material choices and propeller blade shapes.

–  Ensuring operation in Arctic conditions also involves training users to keep batteries operational and ensure performance even in challenging weather conditions, Sorri states. 

Drones revolutionized warfare tactics

Engineer Major General (ret.) Kari Renko, Executive Vice President of Patria, says that the use of drones has fundamentally changed warfare tactics in a short time.

–  Drones patrolling in the air have made the battlefield more transparent. It is difficult to move large troops or vehicles without the enemy getting information about the movements, Renko notes.

In addition to the rapid development of drone technology, the change has been influenced by the war in Ukraine, where new things are constantly being tried. Renko compares the development of drones to biological evolution. Many different things are tried simultaneously, the best of which are scaled for wider use, and poorly functioning ones are forgotten.

–  The most effective solutions now are small armed drones with multiple uses. They are precision weapons that can be made cheaply, Renko says.

Renko emphasizes agility in developing drone solutions. 

The development of technology and performance needs must be closely monitored and reacted to quickly

–  We do not yet know where technology will develop in the future. However, Patria's strong research and development activities provide a good foundation for continuously bringing new and intelligent features to drone systems, whether it is countering electronic interference or automatically analyzing data sent by drones, Renko says. 

Finland should invest in drone technology

The goal of Finland's new drone strategy is to ensure the utilization of Finnish technological expertise to create new business opportunities and ensure security.

Patria is actively involved in implementing the strategy, including leading the eALLIANCE progrmme, which brings together Finnish civilian and defense technology expertise. Patria is also involved in the ACTUS programme funded by the European Defence Fund, which focuses on drone development and regulation.

Finland is investing in the development and increasing the manufacturing capacity of drones, utilizing, among other things, projects led by Patria

In February, the Ministry of Defence announced the launch of a new 660 million euros support program for Ukraine, ordering new defense material from Finnish defence companies for Ukraine.

–  This would be a good opportunity to develop drone system manufacturing capacity in Finland, which would immediately benefit Ukraine and create a foundation for scalable production if needed domestically, says Jussi Järvinen.