NATO is expanding its footprint across the Arctic and North Atlantic, increasing patrols and joint operations as Russia’s submarine forces grow more active, two Western officials told Business Insider.
Across air, land, and sea, NATO’s presence and overall activity in the region have more than doubled over the last two to three years, said Vice Adm. Rune Andersen, chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters.
Andersen said that the surge is “partially a response to increased Russian out-of-area deployments with the submarines” and “a need to keep track of that.”
Russia maintains one of the world’s largest submarine fleets, with an estimated 64 active boats. The Northern Fleet, based in the Murmansk region on the Barents Sea, operates dozens.
To get from Murmansk to the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean and Baltic seas, Russian submarines often sail west through the Arctic before turning south and going through the North Sea or the waters in between Greenland, Iceland, and the UK — a naval chokepoint known as the GIUK gap.
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In recent years, Western military officers have increasingly called attention to the growing Russian naval presence — specifically its submarines — in the Arctic and the North Atlantic, and have stressed the need to monitor this activity to avoid surprises.
The Royal Navy tracks a Russian submarine through the English Channel.
Royal Navy
If the Russian submarines make it out of the relatively “shallow water and out into the deep Atlantic sea, it becomes more difficult once they’re out in the really big ocean to track them,” said Col. Martin O’Donnell, the spokesperson for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, or SHAPE, which commands all NATO operations.
“Not that they can’t be tracked, but the difficulty — if you don’t pick them up, if you’re not sensing, if you’re not monitoring things — that increases exponentially and poses a threat not just to Europe, but also to the United States in that regard,” O’Donnell said.
NATO militaries have a range of tools for anti-submarine operations, including frigates, other submarines, helicopters, and other patrol aircraft, and some allies have recently invested in acquiring additional capabilities.
Last month, European nations participated in NATO’s Arctic Dolphin 26 exercise off the coast of Norway, with defense of the North Atlantic and GIUK gap top of mind.
There are, however, other reasons behind NATO’s expanded footprint in the North Atlantic beyond just the Russian naval concerns, O’Donnell and Andersen acknowledged.
The back-to-back accession of Finland and Sweden into NATO, which was triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, increased the number of Arctic states within the alliance from five to seven. Helsinki and Stockholm brought more troops, ships, and aircraft into the alliance’s Arctic defense.
NATO militaries, including the US, use P-8 Poseidon aircraft to monitor Russian naval activity.
US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Viviam Chiu
O’Donnell also said that alliance activity in the North Atlantic has increased since December, when JFC Norfolk — NATO’s newest joint force command — added Finland, Sweden, and Denmark to its area of responsibility. It now leads the alliance’s new Arctic Sentry deterrence operation.
More generally, there is a greater understanding among NATO states that the North Atlantic and Arctic regions are becoming more strategically valuable, making it critical for allies to maintain a strong deterrent posture there, Andersen said.
The region is full of natural resources, and melting sea ice is creating new trade routes. To prevent Russia and China from gaining military and economic influence in the High North to the detriment of alliance states, NATO’s leadership wants allies to continue prioritizing Arctic security.
One of the key benefits of Arctic Sentry, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said last month, is that “we now have a one Arctic approach, where allies synchronise activities, enhance and expand regular presence throughout the region.”
“It is bringing together what you already have, and adding on top, based on a gap assessment, what we need to do more,” Rutte said.
Passengers flying from Japan to Europe endured a 14-hour-long flight to nowhere on Tuesday after an engine issue.
All Nippon Airways Flight 223 left Tokyo around 11 a.m. and was scheduled to land in Frankfurt, Germany, about 14 hours later.
However, over six hours into the journey, it turned around while flying over the Arctic Ocean, north of Alaska.
Flight-tracking data shows how the Boeing 787 then headed back to the Japanese capital.
It took another eight hours to reach Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, where Flight 223 touched down around 1 a.m.
The plane diverted due to a “low engine oil level,” an ANA spokesperson told Business Insider.
Engine oil differs from jet fuel and is used to lubricate and cool the moving parts inside the engine.Returning to Tokyo, the airline’s main hub, would mean more resources for maintenance and repair.
The spokesperson added that the flight departed again on Wednesday morning, with a change of aircraft and crew.
Data from Flightradar24 shows the new plane departed at around 7:30 a.m. and is supposed to land in Frankfurt around 1 p.m. local time. That’s about 20 hours later than passengers initially expected to get there.
“The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority,” the spokesperson said. “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers by this extensive delay.”
Since the plane turned around roughly halfway through a huge journey, it was a particularly gruelling flight to nowhere — but not the longest.
Last June, a Qantas flight to Paris returned to Perth after 15 hours. It was mid-flight when Iran launched strikes against a US air base in Qatar, closing some of the world’s most congested airspace.
And in 2023, Air New Zealand passengers had a 16-hour flight to nowhere after an electrical fire in a terminal at New York’s JFK Airport.
Alarms blare over the factory floors, and work at Patria’s Hämeenlinna facility grinds to a halt.
The soft thrum of an explosion echoes through the campus. Moments later, roughly 700 workers continue making their armored vehicles bound for Japan, Sweden, Slovakia, and other countries. The blast is not a test-firing of its new combat vehicle, but part of the construction for its expanding manufacturing facility.
Patria, Finland’s largest defense company, is planning to nearly double production at its main hub just north of Helsinki, clearing rocks with explosives on-site to make way for several new assembly lines.
Construction crews are paving the way for a new assembly line in Patria’s Hämeenlinna facility.
Matthew Loh for Business Insider
The Hämeenlinna factory manufactures Patria’s 8×8 armored personnel carrier and a relatively new, up-and-coming vehicle: a wheeled 6×6 troop transport that’s receiving surging demand from northern and western Europe.
Work on the 25-foot-long, 17-ton vehicle began in 2020 under a joint program between Finland and Latvia called the Common Armored Vehicles System. Both countries sought a cost-effective, mass-produced armored vehicle that could be used by their militaries for interoperability.
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Latvia has since sent at least 42 of these vehicles to Ukraine, armed with heavy machine guns and rolled out in batches over the last year. The vehicle can cross tundra and even rivers while shielding up to 10 troops it carries from land mines and artillery fire to get them to forward positions.
Latvia handed over 21 of its promised Patria 6×6 vehicles to Ukraine in November.
Alexander Welscher/picture alliance via Getty Images
When Business Insider visited Patria’s factory, representatives for the company — which is majority-owned by the state of Finland — said the firm wasn’t authorized to share details about the 6×6’s performance in Ukraine.
But the CAVS 6×6 program has been quickly drawing attention from the rest of Europe: What began as a partnership between two countries has expanded into a consortium of seven member states.
Sweden joined the Common Armored Vehicles System program in 2022, followed by Germany, Denmark, the UK, and Norway in subsequent years.
Finland and Latvia have placed orders for just under 500 of these vehicles, while Sweden has requested 415 of the 6×6s to be delivered over the next five years. Stockholm’s latest order for 94 vehicles, announced in early December, priced each one at about $1.75 million.
Germany has become the program’s largest buyer, signing contracts in mid-December to acquire 876 of the 6×6 vehicles, valued at $2.3 billion. These vehicles will be split into four variants, including one that features a mortar turret.
Meanwhile, Denmark, which joined the program this year, has already placed an order for 129 6×6 vehicles.
The UK and Norway are still negotiating 6×6 orders with Patria.
Inside the CAVS 6×6
The CAVS 6×6 can accommodate roughly 10 troops, along with a typical crew of two or three, and features up to NATO standard level 4 armor designed to withstand direct hits from large-caliber machine gun fire, mine explosions, and nearby artillery blasts.
The CAVS 6×6 competes with other wheeled troop transports, such as Rheinmetall’s Boxer and General Dynamics Land Systems’ Stryker, the latter of which is extensively fielded by the US Army.
The Finnish company said it can tweak the vehicle for each customer’s needs, but a typical model features climate control that enables the vehicle to operate in temperatures as low as -40°F.
“Inside, it will be comfortable enough to easily survive. We are talking about temperatures of the plus centigrades,” Mikko Rantanen, Patria’s director for 6×6 vehicle programs, told Business Insider from inside the rear compartment of one of the vehicles.
Patria’s 6×6 can sit roughly 12 to 13 people total.
Matthew Loh for Business Insider
The 6×6’s rear interior is spartan: Cloth-covered metal-frame seats and headrests for five people on either side, with space behind each seat for equipment and small arms.
There’s just enough room for a soldier to sit with their knees touching the opposite passenger’s. A few fire extinguishers inside are connected to an automatic suppression system that can detect a blaze in the rear cabin.
The interior of Patria’s 6×6 features a relatively simple design, with metal seats and storage compartments for firearms and equipment.
Matthew Loh for Business Insider
Screens allow troops to see outside the vehicle through exterior cameras, while a rear hatch provides the option of fitting a machine gun or crewed weapon module on top of the 6×6.
On the right-hand side of the vehicle, a small passageway also lets troops pass between the rear compartment and the driver’s cabin, which resembles that of a truck and features an automatic gearbox.
The driver’s cabin of the 6×6 is like that of a truck’s. The vehicle is driven in auto.
Matthew Loh for Business Insider
Optional propellers on the 6×6’s underside enable it to transition seamlessly from traversing land to crossing small bodies of water, such as rivers or lakes.
“We can enter the water without needing preparation in this configuration,” said Rantanen.
A showcase vehicle of the Patria 6×6 sports propellers for when crews have to move the APC through water.
Matthew Loh for Business Insider
However, the 6×6’s speed in the water is just under 5 mph, and Rantanen added that it’s not meant to be a landing craft or amphibious assault vehicle.
On land, it’s designed to drive at speeds of over 60 mph, easily cross trenches that are four feet wide, and surmount obstacles about two feet high.
Screens in the 6×6 show what’s happening outside the vehicle. The passageway here leads to the driver’s cabin.
Matthew Loh for Business Insider
Moving fast in the Arctic
Building weapons and vehicles specifically for arctic terrain is a specialty for contractors in Finland, a country renowned for holding off the Soviet Union for over 100 days in deep snow and dense forest during World War II.
Patria said that while the 6×6 can be outfitted for various terrain types, including the desert, the arctic domain is its forte.
The CAVS 6×6 is designed to cross both snow and marsh terrain.
Patria
Snow isn’t the only challenge in arctic warfare. Few roads are available on Finland’s border with Russia — the priority threat for NATO — and its vast hinterland is peppered with thousands of small lakes and marshland that can bog down armored transport.
“In the wintertime, it’s snow,” said Petri Hepola, Patria’s executive vice president for sales and marketing and its chief program officer for the F-35. “In the summer, lots of wet soil and swampy areas. One of the most important features is how fast you can move your troops and tools through these areas.”
The wet terrain in the summertime for northern regions means the 6×6 has to be capable of moving fast in both mud and snow.
Patria
Finland and Norway are the only two members of Patria’s 6×6 program that share Arctic borders with Russia.
However, as northern Europe, especially the Baltic and Nordic states, grows increasingly concerned about conflict with Moscow, the Kremlin has been bolstering its military presence in the high north, repopulating key bases and transforming its Arctic fleet into a separate strategic theater.
Since Finland joined NATO in 2023, alliance forces have been rushing to train on the country’s terrain and frigid temperatures, making it one of the most active spots for joint exercises in recent years.
“Our products have been surviving very well in that environment,” Hepola said.
Gearing up for 2027
With an order backlog of nearly 2,000 6×6 vehicles, Patria hopes its new facility in Hämeenlinna will be ready for production by 2027. The factory campus serves only the tail end of the entire manufacturing cycle, which can take weeks in most cases, or several months for more complicated variants.
Inside, hundreds of workers conduct welding, surface treatment, assembly, tests, and other final processes that can each take weeks to complete. Dozens of vehicles line the factory floors, and dozens more sit in parking lots, each marked with a flag to designate the country for which it has been modified.
Patria vehicles are seen during the official opening ceremony for a new production facility in Latvia in 2024.
GINTS IVUSKANS/AFP via Getty Images
Before delivery, each one is supposed to be driven at least 200 km, or 124 miles.
Rantanen, director of the 6×6 program, said Patria has been integrating counter-drone systems, such as jammers, on the vehicle.
Armored vehicles in Ukraine have especially struggled against pervasive minefields and small drones with explosive payloads, some of which are controlled via a fiber optic cable connection that can’t be jammed. In response, soldiers there have relied more on firearms such as shotguns and machine guns to counter such attacks.
Rantanen said Patria hasn’t yet officially added any kinetic weapons that can take down drones.
“The drone threat is currently evolving at such a speed that it’s hard to keep track of it closely,” he said. “But we are hard at work for the countermeasures against drones as well.”
