Patria (company)

During 2001, Patria had secured contracts to build several elements of the NHIndustries NH90 helicopter, such as the rear fuselage, rear ramp, sponsons and sliding doors; the firm also signed Memorandum of understanding to perform final assembly of both the helicopter and its engines.[1] In March 2008, deliveries of Finland's NH90 commenced;[2] deliveries had been delayed from an initial 2004 date thus, to minimize further delay, helicopters were first delivered to an Initial Operational Configuration (IOC-) and Nearly Operational Configuration (IOC+), to be later modified by Patria into a Final Operational Configuration (FOC).[3][4] In September 2011, the Finnish Defence Forces and Patria signed an agreement to provide ballistic protection for onboard personnel across the NH90 fleet.[5] On 18 June 2015, delivery of the final Finnish NH90 took place.[6]

Patria has produced components for numerous aircraft manufacturers; it has manufactured elements of the Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger airliner, as well as being a long-term supplier to the Airbus A320 family and the Embraer ERJ-145.[7][8][9] Patria has also produced components for multiple programmes headed by the European Space Agency.[10][11] During late 2004, the company was actively perusing work on Airbus' A350 XWB and A400M Atlas, as well as Boeing's 787.[7]

Patria also provides support and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) services for various aircraft. During 2009, it won a contract to modernise the Finnish Air Force's 49 BAE Systems Hawk 51/51As with CMC Electronics's Cockpit 4000 avionics suite;[12] months later, Patria was awarded a second contract to upgrade the avionics of 18 Finnish Hawk 66s.[13] Furthermore, it has made offers to supply and support Hawks for foreign operators, including a bid for the Polish Air Force in 2011.[14] In March 2014, the company partnered with Swiss aerospace company RUAG to offer MRO services to McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet operators worldwide.[15]

During March 2016, it was announced that Norwegian defense group Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace AS had agreed terms to purchase a 49.9% stake in Patria; Walter Qvam, Kongsberg chief executive, stated that the company was keen to leverage new advantages from the deal, including Patria's 50 per cent ownership in Norwegian ammunition manufacturer Nammo.[16] The transaction placed a total value of 283.5 million euros on Patria.[17]

As of 5 September 2008, Patria is under investigation by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation on its vehicle project in Slovenia and howitzer project in Egypt.[19] On 18 August 2008, the company's former CEO Jorma Wiitakorpi resigned while the investigation was ongoing; he was succeeded by former board member Heikki Allonen.[20]

Furthermore, several other employees have been arrested on charges of bribery. The case is ongoing and currently (as of 5 September 2008) the criminal investigation is underway. Yleisradio's investigative program MOT published details of the case, causing a scandal in Slovenia, since the Slovenian Government including then-Prime Minister Janez Janša was allegedly involved.

On 17 February 2016, the Turku Court of Appeal released its decision, in which the Court dismissed all charges related to Patria's export project to Croatia, has gained legal force and is final. None of the parties to the case applied for permission to appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal in the Supreme Court. Also the demand for a corporate fine to be imposed on Patria Land Services Oy was dismissed.[21]