BAE Awarded 40 Mk4 Naval Gun Contract for Finland

BAE Systems will produce and deliver Bofors 40 Mk4 Naval Guns for the Finnish Navy and its Hamina Class Squadron 2000 fast attack craft, under a contract with Patria, the prime contractor for the vessel’s mid-life upgrade and overhaul program.

With this contract, Finland adds the 40 Mk4 to its installed base of BAE Systems naval guns, including both previous versions of 40-millimeter (mm) L/70 systems and 57-mm Mk3 systems.

“Finland is the third country to select our Bofors 40 Mk4, the result of growing interest from countries seeking the flexibility that this 40-mm naval gun and ammunition system provides,” said Lena Gillström, managing director of Weapon Systems, Sweden at BAE Systems. “In modern tactical scenarios, ships must be able to operate in different levels of conflict, and survivability requires an extremely flexible weapon system like the 40 Mk4.”

The compact and low weight Bofors 40 Mk4 Naval Gun is a flexible, multi-purpose system offering a high rate of fire and the ability to switch between optimized ammunition types, including the programmable 40-mm 3P all-target ammunition. The system’s effectiveness against air, sea, and ground targets provides high survivability and tactical proficiency at all levels of conflict.

BAE Systems has a long and successful relationship with Finland, supplying gun systems to both the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Army, including air defense, field artillery, and anti-tank guns. Currently, several BAE Systems Bofors naval gun systems, the 40-mm L/70, and 57Mk3 guns with 3P ammunition are in service on Finnish naval ships.  

In addition to Finland, more than 10 countries currently use BAE Systems Bofors 40-mm guns.