Rauma-class

Summary

Description

The Rauma-class missile boats, used by the Finnish Navy and constructed at the Rauma shipyard, are part of Finland's maritime defense. These ships precede the more advanced Hamina-class missile boats. With their base at Pansio, the four vessels of this class have undergone significant upgrades to extend their operational capacity into the 2020s. The modernization project, valued at 70 million EUR, took place at the Western Shipyard in Teijo, enhancing their technical capabilities with state-of-the-art systems.

The upgrades encompassed an extensive overhaul of the vessels' combat systems, notably with the installation of the latest iteration of the SAAB 9LV225 control and command system, shifting from Mk.3 to Mk.4. A major overhaul of the anti-ship and air defense armament systems was undertaken. The original Mistral SAM missiles were substituted with the Multi Ammunition Softkill System (MASS), a system designed to provide an advanced decoy capability, replacing both the Philax chaff, IR flares, and the aging six 103 mm rails for rocket illuminants. Additionally, sonar and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) systems were replaced, with the Simrad ST 240 being upgraded to the ST2400 variant. The upgrade process started in late 2010 with the aim of refurbishing all vessels by autumn 2013, and the Finnish Navy took delivery of the first modernized vessel, Naantali, in May 2013. Before modernization, these ships were equipped with a sextuple Mistral SAM launcher and a ZU-23-2 based Sako twin-barrel 23mm/87 anti-aircraft cannon, along with a portable version of the Mistral SAM launcher. Following the modernization, the SAM system was completely replaced by a MASS launcher.

Operational history saw a setback in 2015 when Finnish media reported that the Rauma class was banned from use due to fatigue damage detected in the hulls of the ships. However, the necessary repairs were completed, and by 2016, the vessels had resumed active service. As part of the Finnish Navy's fleet renewal, the Rauma class is slated for retirement coinciding with the commissioning of the new Pohjanmaa-class corvettes, expected in the late 2020s.

Technical specifications