Member introduction: Insta
Insta is a founding DDE member that has operated in the defence market for more than 50 years. Insta Advance is a pioneer in reliable networked defence solutions. Miia Onkalo, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, hopes that DDE can help Finnish companies gain access to the partnership networks of international companies.
What expertise do you offer?
“We are a strategic partner of the Puolustusvoimat - Försvarsmakten - Finnish Defence Forces and have carried out extensive work in software and systems development. Our strengths include cybersecurity, software development, long-standing expertise in the defence sector, command and control system development, and various systems integrations. Our newer areas of expertise include kinetic systems and UAVs, as well as analytics and artificial intelligence solutions."
Which themes interest you the most?
"We are a traditional player in the defence sector and feel a responsibility for the role of the defence industry in Finland. We hope that DDE will help form Finnish company groups and partnerships around international business opportunities. Together, we are stronger on the global stage."
What are your thoughts on new defence?
"This might be a radical opinion, but I believe buyers play a significant role. As an industry, we can be more agile, invest, and utilise dual-use products. However, purchasing models should also adapt to a faster pace, like in Ukraine, where money is sent directly to combat units to buy their own drones in an agile way. Approval processes in the defence sector are relatively slow worldwide. If we compare this to the consumer market, where new phones, TVs, and other products are adopted quickly, the pace is ultimately driven by consumption."
What are your company’s future goals?
"From a strategic perspective, we aim for growth and internationalisation. We now have kinetic solutions in our portfolio. The Insta Steel product family is our own design. For example, the Insta Steel EagleTM ER is a drone equipped with an explosive charge. The drone and its associated system are designed together with the Ukrainian defence industry at a fast pace. We are also exploring dual-use applications for drone technology, focusing on more affordable solutions to enable larger-scale production at lower costs."
