Armoured Brigade (Finland)

The Armoured Brigade (Panssariprikaati) is a Finnish Army training unit located in Parolannummi, near Hämeenlinna, in southern Finland. The brigade specialises in training armoured and anti-aircraft troops. In case of mobilization, the Finnish Defence Forces would field one armoured brigade. The war-time armoured brigade has a strength of around 5,700 men, and fields 63 main battle tanks, 110 infantry fighting vehicles, circa 100 armoured personnel carriers, mainly of Soviet origin, and roughly 70 other armoured vehicles. However, the remaining war-time armoured brigade is being phased out and replaced by smaller mechanized battle groups. The new mechanized battle groups will field the Leopard 2 MBTs that are not included in the organization of the contemporary war-time armoured brigades.

Organisation

 * Häme Armoured Battalion (HämPsP, Hämeen Panssaripataljoona)
 * Military Police Company (Sotilaspoliisikomppania)
 * Tank Company (PsvK, Panssarivaunukomppania)
 * Armoured Jäger Company (PsJK, Panssarijääkärikomppania)
 * Armoured Pioneer Company (PsPionK, Panssaripioneerikomppania)
 * Helsinki Anti-Aircraft Regiment (HelItR, Helsingin Ilmatorjuntarykmetti)
 * Command Post Battery (Johtokeskuspatteri)
 * Armoured Anti-Aircraft Battery (Panssari-ilmatorjuntapatteri)
 * 1st & 2nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Batteries (1. & 2. Ohjusilmatorjuntapatteri)
 * NCO School (Aliupseerikoulu)
 * Jäger Artillery Regiment (JTR, Jääkäritykistörykmentti)
 * Armoured Signals Company (PSVIESTIK,Panssariviestikomppania)
 * Self-Propelled Howitzer Battery (PsHPtri, Panssarihaupitsipatteri)
 * Mortar Company (KrhK, Kranaatinheitinkomppania)
 * Parola Battalion (ParP, Parolan Pataljoona)
 * Truck Company (Autokomppania)
 * Logistics Company (Huoltokomppania)
 * Armour School (Panssarikoulu)
 * Logistics Centre (Huoltokeskus)
 * Armour Band (Panssarisoittokunta)

Training equipment

 * Leopard 2A4 including Leopard 2R demining vehicle and Leopard 2L Bridge layer
 * BMP-1 (Ex-East German, fully withdrawn from service, except Forward Observation variants BMP1TJ and BMP1 TTJ)
 * BMP-2 (Operational, acquired from East-German surplus stocks)
 * Marksman (Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun)
 * Crotale NG - (Crotale NGs on Sisu XA-181 vehicles, designated ItO 90)
 * Buk M1 known as ItO 96, Anti-aircraft missile transporter erector launcher
 * 2S1 known as 122 PsH 74 (122 Panssarihaupitsi 74, 122mm armoured howitzer 74)
 * 2S5 known as 152 TelaK 91 (152 Telakanuuna 91, 152mm tracked cannon 91)
 * MT-LBV Armoured personnel carrier
 * MT-LBu Artillery command vehicle
 * BTR-50 YVI Tracked signals vehicle
 * T-72 Ex-East German, fully withdrawn from service. Used as target dummies.