Nixu brings together parties that strengthen Finnish cyber self-sufficiency to engage in industrial cooperation in the acquisition of multi-role fighters
Indirect industrial cooperation in the acquisition of F-35 fighters will strengthen the cybersecurity of Finnish security of supply. The Finnish Ministry of Defense commissioned Nixu to assemble a cybersecurity ecosystem that includes dozens of companies, higher education institutions and research institutes. Nixu will be working with Lockheed Martin to develop national cyber-capabilities in several projects
Finland’s acquisition of fighter jets involves EUR 2.5 billion in direct industrial cooperation and EUR 500 million in indirect industrial cooperation between Finnish companies and the manufacturer of the fighters, Lockheed Martin.
Just over two years ago, the Ministry of Defense requested Nixu to coordinate an ecosystem of cyber experts – consisting of companies, higher education institutions and research institutes – well in advance before the fighter manufacturers submitted their bids. Over thirty companies and seven higher education institutions or research institutes were interested in industrial cooperation in the cyber sector, requiring a commitment of several years.
“The goal is that the ecosystem partners will engage in genuine collaboration to create a new product or service that will benefit all of Finnish society in terms of digital security of supply and cyber self-sufficiency,” says Kim Westerlund, Head of Cybersecurity Solutions at Nixu.
“The digitalization of society exposes us to situations in which we must have expertise in areas critical to security of supply under all circumstances. For this reason, it’s very important to bolster resilience – that is, to build capabilities and tolerance to incidents. At the same time, this creates new Finnish business and new jobs in the cyber sector.”
Technology transfer from the United States to Finland
Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the fighters, has now selected the participating organizations and the presented projects (and the Minister of Defense signed the related agreement in February 2022). The company is also a major player in cybersecurity – and provides projects with its own expertise and technological capabilities. This represents a valuable transfer of technology from the United States to Finland, serving to enhance Finnish expertise.
“In the cyber sector, it’s difficult to predict what you intend to develop four years down the line – but everyone had to submit such a forecast to Lockheed Martin. This calls for foresight,” says Westerlund. “We’re grateful to be involved in developing Finnish cyber self-sufficiency and critical digital infrastructure.”
The theme of Nixu’s projects is national cyber resilience in critical digital infrastructure. This involves the development of capabilities in areas such as vulnerability research, the automation of threat intelligence, and advanced attack detection.
Nixu Corporation
Further information:
Kim Westerlund, Head of Cyber Security Solutions, Nixu Corporation
telephone: +358 40 5123125, e-mail: kim.westerlund@nixu.com
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Nixu in Brief:
Nixu is a cybersecurity services company on a mission to keep the digital society running. Our passion is to help organizations embrace digitalization securely. Partnering with our clients, we provide practical solutions for ensuring business continuity, easy access to digital services and data protection. We aim to provide the best workplace to our team of about 400 cybersecurity professionals with a hands-on attitude. With Nordic roots, we serve clients worldwide. Nixu is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki stock exchange.