The Finnish Border Guard to replace its maritime search and rescue helicopters in the HVX project

In autumn 2025, the Finnish Border Guard initiated an assessment, in accordance with the Government programme, of the replacements of the current maritime search and rescue helicopters soon coming to the end of their life cycle. The project carries the name HVX project. This name follows the registration numbers of the current helicopters, which start with OH-HV. 

The aim of this project is to replace the current maritime search and rescue helicopters with one multipurpose helicopter type in the 2030s. In addition, we aim to define the requirements and possibilities to replace the smaller helicopters with the same helicopter type on a later date, if decided separately. Moreover, the project acknowledges the requirements of other authorities and stakeholders.

– The Finnish Border Guard has a maritime search and rescue helicopter system with the highest capability in the Baltic Sea region.  Moreover, it has also proved itself in the changed safety environment, where readiness, flexible use of resources and cooperation of authorities are emphasised. Replacing the current capability is the Finnish Border Guard’s minimum objective. It is necessary to develop our surveillance and influencing capability, networking, as well as protection. Furthermore, we have also identified several possibilities to improve the helicopter system’s cost efficiency, Major General Jari Tolppanen, Project Leader of the HVX project, states.

Currently, we wait for responses to our request for information from the potential suppliers, which are Airbus, Bell, Leonardo and Sikorsky. Through the said request for information, the Finnish Border Guard aims to identify the suitability of the helicopter types, their risks, the helicopter manufacturers’ delivery capability, as well as the cost impacts. This week, the HVX project met with the suppliers.

– In these meetings, the helicopter manufacturers received further information concerning the details in the request for information. Thus, these meetings contributed to that the responses to our request for information will be of the highest quality, as well as comparable. Top experts from the Finnish Border Guard have been appointed to the project group, whereby I can pursue this project with confidence, Project Manager, Commander Kimmo Ahvonen reports.

The helicopter manufacturers shall reply to the request for information in April, at the latest. Based on these replies to the request for information, the Finnish Border Guard will specify the objectives for the helicopter system, and utilises this information in the competitive tendering that will be arranged in due time. Replacement of the maritime search and rescue helicopters will be a question for the following government to decide on.