Satellite company Iceye leads a consortium that will produce new intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities for military users such as the Finnish Defence Forces.
Helsinki-based Iceye, specializing in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite operations for Earth observation, will be joined by Finnish companies Insta, Huld and DA-Group, and the Finnish Meteorological Institute, working together with Lockheed Martin of the United States.
The new military capabilities will be especially suitable for the demanding Arctic weather and light conditions of NATO’s northern flank, Iceye said in a November 2024 news release. These capabilities include analytics using artificial intelligence, ISR cell development and high-performance SAR imaging. Space-based intelligence is a vital tool for military operations across domains, Iceye said, adding that “the program demonstrates Finnish willingness to develop and adopt advanced dual-use technologies that enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness on the modern battlefield.”
Finland joined NATO as its 31st member in April 2023 after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022. Since then, growth among native defense-related companies has substantially improved with the country’s ambitious capital spending commitments to the alliance, the Defense News website reported. The spending is earmarked to help establish a NATO command structure in Finland and reinforce the alliance’s eastern flank along Finland’s 1,340-kilometer border with Russia.