The Finnish Federation

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Note:
Actually, I want to post an aircraft or two. However, the aircraft cannot exist without a story. To that end, I need some words about how the Finnish Federation came to be.

The Finnish Federation
(Finnish: Suomen liittovaltio, Russian: Финляндская Федерация)

After Nazi Germany was defeated in 1941, a quick realignment of alliances followed, as it was clear that Stalin's Soviet union was intent on continued expansion. Another war became inevitable. With all the resources of western Europe, and some help from USA, it was thought that USSR would soon cease fighting. It turned out not to be quite that easy. By 1946, it was clear that "The Russians" actually had to be beaten on their own ground. It took some time....

Up North, Finland - with a population of less than 4 million - had been fighting a war of survival against the mighty Soviet Union since 1939. Some ground had been lost but that started to change in 1942. Most Finns would have been happy to get back the ground that they had lost, although there were those who also wanted the rest of Karelia, to create a Greater Finland (Suursuomi). Going for the Urals was stuff for morale raising songs such as "Uraliin" by Teijo Joutsela ja Humppa-Veikot. As it turned out, all of the Soviet Union needed to be occupied to some degree, and southern Nations were not all that eager to take on the West Siberian Plain. By the end of 1952, USSR was occupied, and much of the North was held by troops consisting of recently recruited indigenous troops under Finnish command.

Once the fighting was over, the next problem was what to do with all the land and the various peoples living on it. With the progress of the war, nations further south had already been organised, or reinstated: Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia. The North had been under Russian rule for centuries but could not really be left that way. Russia needed to have well defined borders but the area had to be much smaller than before, to keep it manageable.

The first step in the north was a no-brainer for most: dump the Karelian areas and the Kola Peninsula into Finland's lap. The rest remained a United Nations protectorate until 1967, when talks among the peoples of the area and in the UN General Assembly resolved in the formation of the Finnish Federation, with its capital in Mikkeli, Finland. The new nation consists of the 6 States of Suomi, Karjala, Sámi, Perm, Yugra, and Mordva. In addition, the Nganasan Protectorate even further North East was assigned to the care of the Federation.

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Getting an administration going throughout the new nation was ... just work. To get people to identify themselves with the nation was more complex. You need something in common, and you need symbols. It helped that the peoples spoke languages of the Finno-Ugric family but a Finn doesn't understand Nenets just like that, or the other way round. The new States are working on making the indigenous languages into the official languages of the administration, but Russian still remains a lingua franca in large parts of the Federation.

Closer to the hearts of the people, flags are an obvious symbol. The traditional flags used in the new States come in such a variety of patterns, shapes, and colors that combining them all into one mix was impossible. Artist sent hundreds of proposals to the Ministry of Education and Culture, and finally a simple solution - that works - was found: the old blue and white cross of Finland would be the Federal fag, and the States would add their old banners into its top corner.

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With a bigger nation come bigger possibilities - and bigger problems. Finland, now Suomi the State, had been forged into unity during the war but to a large extent the other States were just awakening to not being under "Russian rule". Most people liked the new stability, combined with more freedom. Then there were those who wanted something different: groups with strong identities, and perhaps their own histories. The Ural Cossac uprising of 1981 was an extreme example, and nobody was prepared for it. The uprising spread to large areas of the Mordva and Yugra republics, and the northern parts of neighbouring Kazakhstan before it was put down. Now, there was an urgency to be more prepared anywhere in the Federation, to keep similar blood baths from happening again.

Having seen the efficiency of US Homeland Security Piper PA-48 Enforcers, in discouraging and countering insurgents in USA, the Finnish Federal Government commissioned the Government-owned defence and aerospace company Patria to search for similar solutions. They asked for an aircraft that could precisely attack trouble spots, and was economical enough to be fielded in large numbers. As a result of the studies, Patria acquired the rights for series production of the Heston line of military aircraft. For the task at hand, they designed and produced a modernized version of the Heston Basilisk, the Patria LX-115, with some modern materials and a turboprop engine. In later production runs, the LX-115 was upgraded with glass cockpit, sensors for all weather operation, missile integration and counter-measures.

In line with naming other domestically produced military vehicles, the nickname of the new COIN aircraft is a description worked into an abreviation: Lepakko, or "Bat". LEPAKKO comes from "LEntokone, PAtria, Kapinan Kukistaja": "Aircraft, PAtria, Counter-Rebellion"... and, as there are not that many ways to end a proper Finnish word, an "O" was added for good measure.

Koltsovo Air Base outside Yekaterinburg, 2002:

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The Finnish Federation Border Guard is a military organisation with limited police authority. In addition to border control, its duties include assisting other authorities in whatever emergencies may arise. With the long borders and vast wilderness areas, the Border Guard saw a need for more aircraft to cover all the land and water that they were responsible for. Preferably, it should be something that could see well, and deal with any minor issues right there and then. When the Lepakko was selected for service with the Army, the Border Guard enquired about modifications for their particular needs. The needs were relatively easy to fulfill: another set of optoelectronic sensors, and more internal fuel which the aircraft can carry without problems while only light weapons loads are used. Initially, 60 more aircraft, with designation "Patria LX-117", were added to Patria's to-do list.

Typically, "Leppas" operate as outriders for larger Border Guard patrol aircraft like Dornier Do-228 or SAAB 340. The aircraft are networked, so that any aircraft in the patrol can see what everybody else is seeing. Border Guard "Leppas" usually carry a light mix of air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles on wing pylons, in addition to the 20 mm guns at wing roots. Additional fuel or a recce pod is sometimes carried on the center line. The aircraft retain wing stations for more stores but they are mainly considered a precaution, in case the Border Guard ever needs to integrate with war-fighting forces for large scale action.

Leppa? That's LEntokone, Patria, PArtio, or "Aircraft, Patria, Patrol". Also, a fitting (nick)name for a bat in Finnish children's books.

In 2012, this particular Patria LX-117 "Leppa" was operating from the Omsk-Severnyj Airbase in the southern part of Yugra, not far from the Kazakhstani border.

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More views of the Leppa: