The Border Guard has increased aerial surveillance of the eastern border this year.
This means that the helicopters and surveillance planes of the Border Guard’s air patrol squadron will fly about 4,000 hours in 2022, a quarter more than in 2021.
According to the border authorities, surveillance flights are an effective way to monitor the border zone. Aircraft sensors, such as thermal cameras, allow the aircraft to detect people from afar.
"The flight along the border takes four hours, and we can cover hundreds of kilometers. We also see a lot of objects that canine patrols cannot inspect," Kasper MaunulaThe commander of the AW119 Koala helicopter told Yle.
Artificial intelligence interprets surveillance footage
Earlier this year, border officials announced plans to replace Dornier DO-228 aircraft purchased in the 1990s, which will soon reach the end of their useful lives. After the procurement decision is made next year or in 2024 at the latest, the new surveillance machines will enter service in 2026-2027.
The new airplanes will also be equipped with the latest control technology. This means that the images taken during the flight can be transferred to the ground or in sea areas to the ship and analyzed with the help of pattern recognition and artificial intelligence.
This makes it easier to detect illegal activity and intruders, as high-flying aircraft produce so much information that it is impossible to analyze with the human eye alone.
Land border control improved
In the fall, the government will decide on the construction of a fence on Finland’s eastern border. As a result, new control technology is also being introduced at the land border.
"We get a comprehensive picture of the border area at different times, what is happening there, what it looks like," by Pasi Marttinen, Deputy commander of the Border Guard’s air patrol squadron.
According to the border authorities, there are also plans to introduce mobile control cells, control robots and new sensors.