Defence minister: Situation in Gaza won't affect Finland's arms trade with Israel (original) (raw)
According to the defence minister, Finland’s substantial arms purchases from Israel are extremely important, of top quality, and very well suited to the Defence Forces.
File photo of Finnish Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen. Image: Petteri Bülow / Yle
- Yle News
Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen (NCP) told Yle there is no need for new guidelines on arms trade with Israel, which is at war in Gaza.
His comment came after Germany announced on Friday it would suspend exports of military equipment that Israel could use in the Gaza Strip.
"For years, no actual weapons have been exported from Finland to Israel, and other exports of defence and dual-use items have also been very limited. The individual exports have mainly been various equipment related to protection. Nor are there any new export openings to Israel planned," Häkkänen said in an email to Yle.
No cancellation of air missile deal
According to the defence minister, Finland’' substantial arms purchases from Israel are extremely important, of top quality, and very well suited to the Defence Forces.
Most attention has gone to 'David's Sling', a missile system intended for air defence. Häkkänen says it is "a critically important piece in Finland's air defence" because it replaces an air-defence capability that has been decommissioned.
According to Häkkänen, there are no discussions about cancelling the deal — it is proceeding as planned.
"If the air-defence missile deal were cancelled now, the result would be that the entire procurement would go back to square one. Obtaining this necessary air-defence capability would be delayed by several years. Finland would also have to pay significant contractual penalties. In other words, money would go to Israel, but Finland would not get the air-defence capability it needs," Häkkänen said.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) said in June, during the Prime Minister’s interview hour, that although decided purchases will not be cancelled, no new arms purchases from Israel should be made now because of the situation in Gaza. Defence Minister Häkkänen, in his comment, does not take a position on future purchases.
Value of export permits jumped in 2024
Exports of defence equipment from Finland to Israel have been relatively modest in recent years, with annual export permits ranging from 140,000 to 981,000 euros, mainly for electronic devices and protective gear.
However, in 2024, the value of export permits skyrocketed to 16.8 million euros, granted to two companies. According to the Ministry of Defence, 16.7 million euros of this total is attributed to a permit issued to Insta Group.
The company exports software to Israel that enables integration of Finland’s Israeli-purchased David’s Sling air defence system into Finnish systems. The ministry has assessed that exporting the software will not lead to any transfer of new expertise to Israel.
Arms purchases from Israel worth millions
Arms imports from Israel to Finland have been notably active in recent years. Over the past decade, Finland has placed orders exceeding 800 million euros for weapons, counting only contracts of at least ten million euros. These agreements also include options for additional purchases worth hundreds of millions of euros.
David's Sling air defence system — the single largest acquisition from Israel — was purchased in 2023 for 316 million euros, with an option for an additional 213 million euros.
The system is delivered by the same Rafael company from which the Finnish Army ordered Spike anti-tank missiles in 2022 for 213 million euros. The third largest recent purchase was the Gabriel anti-ship missiles bought by the Navy in 2018, priced at 162 million euros with an additional option worth 193 million.
The total value of all acquisitions has not been disclosed. For instance, the values of the Army’s counter-battery radar systems and new ammunition for Leopard tanks are not public information.
Among European countries, at least Spain has cancelled arms purchases from Israel due to the situation in Gaza. In June, the Spanish government cancelled a 280 million euro Spike anti-tank missile deal that had been made just before Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023.