Patria’s expertise in fighter engine maintenance has sparked interest outside of Europe as well. This opens up the opportunity to offer other Patria products and services to customers.
Photo credit: Pratt and Whitney
The Patria unit PBEC (Patria Belgium Engine Center) operating in Belgium has been responsible for the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of Pratt & Whitney F100 engines of F-16 and F-15 fighters for quite a while.
The unit’s customer base comprises the air forces of approximately 15 countries. Janne Räkköläinen, Senior Vice President, Market Area World, says that in addition to Europe, Patria has customers from Asia and both North and South America. He is responsible for the sales and customer accounts of Patria products and services outside Europe.
“Patria’s customer promise — ‘when if is not an option’ — is perfectly suited to our aircraft services all over the world. We’re the natural partner to defence sector customers and their critical operations globally,” says Räkköläinen.
A globally effective engine repair workshop concept
Manuel Sidiropoulos, CEO of PBEC, says that the operating model of the engine repair workshop is a good fit for customers around the world.
“Customers send a fighter engine or a part of it to Patria. We disassemble it and then check the parts and replace them if necessary. The engine is then reassembled and sent back to the customer."
Sidiropoulos says that one of Patria’s great strengths is its thorough knowledge of the engines being serviced. Originally founded by engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, Patria’s unit has operated in Belgium for over 40 years.
“We’re able to offer reliable and cost-effective solutions that our competitors cannot,” emphasises Sidiropoulos.
In 2020, Patria staff also started working at the air base of the Belgian Air Component.
“This was a natural step in deepening our many decades of cooperation. It testifies to the firm confidence that the Belgian Defence Forces have in Patria’s operations,” says Sidiropoulos.
Strong references provide a great competitive advantage
Räkköläinen also thinks that Patria’s strong references in the maintenance of many different types of military aircraft yield a key competitive advantage for the company around the world.
Patria has a decades-long history of working with the Finnish Defence Forces and as its current strategic partner, Patria is responsible for, among other things, the lifecycle updates and integrations of F/A-18 C/D Hornet fighters.
Patria’s lifecycle services also cover the Defence Forces’ Hawk Mk51/66 jet trainers, NH90 helicopters, CASA 295M transport aircraft and Grob G115E trainers. Lifecycle services also cover the jet engines GE F404 (Hornet), Adour Mk 851 / Mk861 (Hawk) and RTM322 (NH90).
Patria has a decades-long history of working with the Finnish Defence Forces and as its current strategic partner.
In Sweden, Patria has a helicopter unit in Arlanda, Stockholm, which started its operations back in the 1940s, a pioneer in its field. It handles the maintenance, repair and upkeep of civilian, government and military helicopters and their parts for many countries.
“Our long history and references testifying to reliable service increase customers’ confidence in Patria. We’re committed to long-term strategic partnerships and staying in the market for a long time. The fact that Patria’s majority owner is the Finnish state adds stability to our operations,” Räkköläinen says.
Patria proactively seeks new customers outside Europe as well
The Nordic countries and the rest of Europe comprise Patria’s main market due to their geographical proximity, but Räkköläinen says that the company is proactively seeking to acquire new customers and deepen cooperation with existing ones outside Europe as well.
In the United States, Patria engages in close technical cooperation with Pratt & Whitney, the manufacturer of F100 engines.
“In addition to Pratt & Whitney, we also work with smaller operators item repairs and support services.”
Patria is preparing to carry out F-35 fighter engine assembly and maintenance projects with Pratt & Whitney.
Sidiropoulos says that the long-term outlook for F-16 fighter maintenance and repairs is bright.
“The air forces of many countries will be flying F-16s for another 10 to 20 years at least. We have the opportunity to further increase our share of this market around the world."
According to Räkköläinen, F-35 fighter lifecycle services will also support Patria’s position as a provider of critical maintenance and upkeep services in the international market in the long run. Finland has decided to replace its Hornet fighters with F-35s. As part of its industrial cooperation on F-35s, Patria also manufactures their front frames in Finland for international users.
“In addition, Patria is preparing to carry out F-35 fighter engine (F-135) assembly and maintenance projects with Pratt & Whitney,” says Räkköläinen.
Patria’s solutions attract interest in Asia
In Asia, Patria has performed engine maintenance for the several Air Forces in the region with very good feedback of our service capabilities in item repairs and full module overhauls. There is also potential for sales of other Patria products and services in this region, according to Per-Jonas Trollsås, who is responsible for the sales and marketing of Patria’s offering to selected clients in Asia.
As in Europe, security concerns have grown in Asia. Countries in this region want to improve their land, sea and airspace defence capabilities.
“This is evident in, for example, growing customer interest in Patria’s C5ISTAR situational awareness solutions,” says Trollsås.
These include Patria’s Underwater systems (Patria SONAC), which are powerful tools for underwater intelligence, surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and Acoustic mine sweeping. Trollsås says that there have also been customer contacts regarding Patria’s MUSCL system, a hard-to-detect passive radar system for high-performance air surveillance.
“We’ve also received inquiries about helicopter system integrations, in which Patria has strong and broad expertise. This may include integrations of searchlights, weapon systems and central computers,” says Trollsås.
Asian customers can also avail themselves of the services of Patria’s helicopter unit in Stockholm to repair dynamic components and parts.
Janne Räkköläinen thinks that in Asia, Japan also has great potential as a partner to Patria — the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force has selected the Patria AMVXP 8x8 as its new personnel carrier.
“This opens up an excellent opportunity to expand our collaboration to other Patria products and services. Our cooperation has started up in a very active and positive spirit.”
