Exail delivers navigation equipment for Finnish Navy's Squadron 2020 programme

The Squadron 2020 Pohjanmaa-class vessels will form the backbone of maritime defence for the Finnish Defence Forces in the future, with their capabilities planned to be used well into the 2050s. (Finnish Defence Forces)

French navigation systems specialist Exail has completed deliveries of critical navigation equipment that will be installed on the four new Pohjanmaa-class corvettes being procured for the Finnish Navy under its Squadron 2020 corvette programme.

Announcing the milestone on 25 March, Exail said the delivery included multiple Marins M3 inertial navigation systems (INSs) and shock-mounted protection systems.

Exail's Marins series, which is based on fibre-optic gyroscope (FOG) technology, is the highest-grade INS in the company's portfolio and will provide the Pohjanmaa-class corvettes with uninterrupted, highly accurate navigation data even in global navigation satellite services (GNSS)-denied environments.

The Marins M3 INS has a heading accuracy of 0.01° and a pitch roll accuracy of 0.01°. Positional accuracy (without GNSS aiding) is to within 1 n mile for every 12 hours travelled. The system is maintenance-free and certified to MIL-STD 461 and MIL-STD 810.

In addition to the Marins M3, each corvette will also be equipped with Exail's photonic INS (Phins). According to Exail, this will create a uniquely redundant inertial architecture that maximises reliability and resilience during naval operations. The Phins INS has a heading accuracy of 0.01°, pitch roll accuracy of 0.01°, and a positioning accuracy (without GNSS) to within 0.6 n miles after one hour.

The shock-mounted protection will ensure that these systems withstand high-impact shocks, maintaining uninterrupted performance under demanding conditions, Exail said.