Kaarna appoints Head of Software Engineering and plans 25 engineering hires in Oulu

Source ID: PRESS-018
Date: 2026-06-16
Owner: Kaarna Defence Electronics Oy newsroom (copied by GeoNordic Business Development)
Status: copy of official first-party announcement
Original file: 2026-06-16-kaarna-head-of-software-engineering-hires.md

Original source: Kaarna Defence Electronics Oy, 2026-06-16, newsroom.kaarna-defence.invalid/2026/06/head-of-software-engineering-hires

OULU, 16 June 2026. Kaarna Defence Electronics Oy has appointed Heikki Rantala as Head of Software Engineering and announced plans to hire 25 additional engineers in Oulu over the next twelve months, the company said today. The hiring plan is intended to support growing demand for the HAWKEYE Tactical Display product line.

Kaarna said the new engineering hires would work primarily on software for the HAWKEYE platform, including work related to the Arctic Mobility contract signed with the Nordic Defence Materiel Office in March. Rantala joins from the company's systems integration group, where he led HAWKEYE software delivery.

Dr Aino Kettunen, Chief Executive Officer of Kaarna Defence Electronics Oy, said the additional roles would support HAWKEYE work, including the Arctic Mobility programme.

Kaarna said recruitment would begin immediately, with roles spanning embedded software, systems integration, and quality assurance. The company gave no breakdown of hiring by specific role.

About Kaarna Defence Electronics Oy: Kaarna Defence Electronics Oy is a Finnish electronics company based in Oulu, supplying tactical display and situational-awareness systems to defence and government customers.