The Finnish Defense Forces are expanding their Sisu 4×4 fleet

The Finnish Defense Forces have ordered 13 Sisu GTP 4×4 off-road vehicles from Oy Sisu Auto Ab, with a total procurement value of approximately 9.7 million euros ($10.6 million), according to the Finnish Ministry of Defense (MoD) .

The Foreign Ministry said the agreement was prepared “together with Sweden” as part of cooperation “focusing on the countries’ vehicle systems” and follows previous Finnish agreements in 2020 and 2022 for 31 Sisu GTP 4×4 vehicles.

“By supplying domestic vehicles, we develop the Army’s mobility and ensure military security of supply. In addition, the procurement has a significant impact on regional employment in Western Usimaa,” Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said in a statement.

Although relatively minor, the latest deal is part of an ongoing build-up of defense equipment in Finland, despite a floating budget that has seen total spending from 2021-2022 cut by $0.3 billion, according to GlobalData’s analysis .

However, GlobalData’s current forecast claims that in the period 2024–2028 a total of $37 billion will be spent on defense, for a compound annual growth rate of 7% over this period.

This growth is mainly attributed to the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which has led most European countries to redouble their defense modernization efforts, particularly those that share a border with Russia.

Finland itself applied to join NATO in May 2022 and officially joined in April 2023, with its forces now integrated into the multinational defense alliance’s overall command and control structure.

Notable ongoing procurement programs for Finland in all sectors are the F-35A stealth fighterThe Pohjanmaa– class corvettesand the multinational Common Armored Vehicle System (CAVS) project.

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