Finnish Navy introduces new ship class

The Finnish Navy has unveiled a new class of multi-purpose landing ship for use in coastal waters and on the high seas.

The U-700 class of ship, also known as the Jehu, has a large transport capacity and effective countermeasure systems, can be used for troop transports, medical and evacuation tasks, landing, sea surveillance and escorting tasks, and for battle and battle support missions.

The ships are nearly 65.3 feet long, have a speed of more than 35 knots and a range of more than 200 nautical miles.

Their defensive systems include ballistic and CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological nuclear) counter-measures. They also feature a remote weapon station that can be connected to several types of weapons.

The Finnish Navy said it ordered 12 of the boats from Marine Alutech Oy Ab.

The first three vessels of the class participated this week in a Parade of Ships in Helsinki South Harbor, marking the founding of the service in 1790.