Finland was already planning to acquire new rifles from Sako when the Swedish ground forces also joined the discussions.
Finland and the Swedish Army are planning joint small arms acquisitions, which may be the start of subsequent joint large arms acquisitions.
In Finland, the Finnish Defense Forces’ logistics department and arms manufacturer Sako signed a letter of intent for the development of new rifles and the preparation of the acquisition last year.
A sniper rifle for a sniper and a rifle for a group sniper are under development. It would be the same weapon with different equipment and a range of ammunition.
The acquisition has been prepared under the name K22, where K means experiment and 22 years of completion.
Now as a new possibility, it has emerged that the Swedish Army may be involved in the procurement. The end result would be that Finland and Sweden would have Sniper Rifles based on the same weapon platform.
The needs of the countries are significant, because in Finland, for example, the intention is to partially replace the current Sniper Rifles of new members with new ones. Exact figures are not disclosed by the Defense Forces.
“In the case of Finland, this is now a self-loading sniper rifle and support weapon to be planned with Sako at an early stage. They will significantly increase the firepower and accuracy of local and operational forces, ”says the infantry inspector, Colonel Rainer Peltoniemi From the Army Staff.
Pictured is a Sniper Rifle Model 85.
“The same project also involves ammunition and optronics, ie sights and the ability to operate in the dark.”
Its caliber is the so-called 7.62 NATO. The new model would replace the old Russian-made Dragunov sniper rifle based on the design of the 60’s and partly the 7.62 sniper rifle 85, which is Finnish.
Swedish has embarked on a massive re-creation of its army in recent years, including the establishment of troop divisions and the acquisition of various defense equipment.
That is why co-operation between Finland and Sweden now makes sense, according to Peltoniemi. According to him, some of the systems in the Swedish Army have reached the end of their life cycle, ie they need to be rebuilt.
The acquisition of a sniper rifle may therefore be a kind of pilot project for future joint arms and vehicle acquisitions between Finland and Sweden.
“The aim of Finnish-Swedish defense co-operation is to ensure that the countries have the best possible co-operation capacity and the ability to implement joint defense measures in all circumstances,” says Peltoniemi.
Read more: Sweden, Norway and Denmark agree on defense co-operation – Why is Finland not involved?
“They also have an interest and now also resources, so this is a good time to work together. Both countries have their own budgets and development plans. We have looked together at what projects we and they have and in which areas it would make sense and possible to work together. “
And when the countries have identical defense equipment, both benefit, Peltoniemi continues. Among other things, it allows troops to work together and facilitates logistics, be it war or peace. Possible joint procurement would also be important from the point of view of security of supply and the domestic defense equipment industry.
“When the volume is higher and the shoulders are wider, i.e. when there are more buyers, it is reflected in production and prices. Procurement would therefore be cheaper. ”
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