The Logistics Command of the Finnish Defence Forces has awarded Marine Alutech a contract for a further 18 landing craft of the Jurmo-class. The Finnish Navy had initially 38 boats of this type in the 1990s and had already ordered an additional 17 in 2023. The new vehicles, designated Jumo-NG (New Generation), include structural reinforcements based on operational experience and current requirements, but externally they resemble the existing fleet. Deliveries are set to begin next year and be completed by the end of 2029.
In the Finnish Navy, the Jurmo-class was introduced to replace the Uisko-class, also built by Marine Alutech. The older boats ran under the manufacturer designation Watercat M11, were 10.5 meters long, 3.5 meters wide and had a draft of 0.6 meters. With a payload of 2.5 tons, the displacement was ten tons; a diesel engine with 490 kW accelerated them via a waterjet drive to up to 35 knots (65 km/h). An undisclosed number were handed over to Ukraine in 2022.
Operations along Finland’s Archipelago Coast
The Jurmo-class is referred to by the manufacturer Watercat as the Watercat M12; it is 14.1 meters long, 3.65 meters wide and has a draft of 0.7 meters, with a displacement of 13.9 tons and a payload of three tons. The propulsion is provided by two Caterpillar C7 diesels, each at 331 kW, and two Rolls-Royce Kamewa FF375 waterjets, enabling a maximum speed of 37 knots, and 30 knots when fully loaded (69 km/h and 56 km/h). The range is 180 nautical miles (333 kilometers), and the crew consists of two plus 20 embarked assault troops.
Like its predecessors, the vessel is Kevlar-protected and can be armed with an NSV caliber 12.7 x 108 mm machine gun or a 40 mm grenade machine gun, or alternatively capable of mounting a 120 mm NEMO automatic mortar. Its primary mission is the transport and supply of troops along the Finnish archipelago coast. Marine Alutech produces a range of Watercat-series landing craft and is also competing for a procurement by the German Navy’s Seebataillon with the M18.
