The Finnish Border Guard has unveiled an ambitious counter-drone (C-UAS) development programme that will eventually equip its patrol boats, ground vehicles and command posts with integrated detection, tracking and mitigation technologies. Announced on 25 June 2026, the project brings together a domestic industrial consortium that includes telecommunications giant Nokia, shipbuilder Marine Alutech, vehicle-supplier Saab (SISU GTP platform) and systems-integrator 61N Solutions. The aim is to create a fully networked ‘system-of-systems’ capable of spotting unauthorized or hostile unmanned aerial vehicles along Finland’s 1 300 km land border with Russia, its extensive Baltic coastline, and critical infrastructures such as airports, ports and power plants. According to the Border Guard, the first prototype patrol boat and armoured vehicle fitted with multi-sensor drone-detection suites will begin field trials in Lapland before the end of the year. Nokia’s role is to deliver an “intelligent, high-performance, secure mesh network” that links sensors, electronic-warfare payloads and mobile command-and-control nodes in real time, enabling operators to coordinate responses within seconds. The solution builds on Nokia’s private-LTE/5G product line already in use with several European defence forces and will support future migration to 6G. Colonel Janne Puurunen, head of the Border Guard’s technical division, said Finland’s NATO membership and the evolving threat environment made it “imperative to move rapidly from single-purpose jammers to layered, mobile C-UAS capabilities that can be deployed on land and at sea”. He added that lessons from recent drone incidents in the Baltic and Ukraine illustrate how inexpensive quad-copters can be used for reconnaissance and sabotage far from conventional frontlines. From a business-mobility perspective, the project signals that the Finnish authorities are investing heavily in safeguarding cross-border trade lanes and critical transport hubs. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport already has passive drone-detection fences, but officials noted that the new system will allow seamless information-sharing with Finavia, Finnair Operations Control and neighbouring Swedish and Estonian agencies, potentially reducing flight-disruption when drone sightings occur. Companies with logistics chains that rely on smooth passage over the eastern border or offshore pipelines stand to benefit from faster incident-resolution and lower insurance premiums once the network is fully operational.
For international staff, contractors and journalists who will need to move swiftly between Finland and other NATO or EU member states as this C-UAS network rolls out, VisaHQ can simplify the practicalities of travel. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) streamlines applications for Schengen visas, work permits and passport renewals, ensuring stakeholders spend less time on paperwork and more time focusing on mission-critical operations.
The consortium expects initial operational capability in 2027, with nationwide roll-out by 2029, subject to parliamentary budget approval. Export opportunities are also being explored, positioning Finnish firms at the forefront of the fast-growing global C-UAS market, forecast by Frost & Sullivan to exceed EUR 15 billion by 2030.
For international staff, contractors and journalists who will need to move swiftly between Finland and other NATO or EU member states as this C-UAS network rolls out, VisaHQ can simplify the practicalities of travel. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) streamlines applications for Schengen visas, work permits and passport renewals, ensuring stakeholders spend less time on paperwork and more time focusing on mission-critical operations.
The consortium expects initial operational capability in 2027, with nationwide roll-out by 2029, subject to parliamentary budget approval. Export opportunities are also being explored, positioning Finnish firms at the forefront of the fast-growing global C-UAS market, forecast by Frost & Sullivan to exceed EUR 15 billion by 2030.
