Finland to double ammunition production for domestic use and Ukraine support
10:14 AM EST, December 14, 2023
Finnish's Minister of Defense has agreed to at least double the ammunition output in the Finnish branches of the Norwegian corporation Nammo. This includes factories like Nammo Lapua Oy and Nammo Vihtavuori Oy.
Scandinavian countries, including Finland, are crucial weapons suppliers to Ukraine. They have supplied modern equipment, like CV90 armored infantry fighting vehicles, H77BW Archer self-propelled howitzers, Saab RBS-70 air defense systems, 120 KRH 92 mortars, and Sisu XA-180/185 armored transporters.
Overview of Finland's Production — Superior Precision across Systems
Due to its unique circumstances, Finland has been and remains a user of both Soviet and Western equipment. It produces ammunition for both. It's important to note that during the 80s and 90s, Vammas Oy, which is now part of Nammo Lapua Oy, manufactured Soviet artillery ammunition cal. 122 mm, 130 mm, and 152 mm, as well as NATO cal. 155 mm.
Considering that they still use the 2S1 Goździk (PzH 74) howitzers and other systems of this caliber, we can assume that the Finns have not reduced the ammunition production line. For Soviet systems, basic projectiles were presumably made with a range of 9.3 miles, containing about 5.5 pounds of trinitrotoluene within a steel casing.
Nonetheless, a substantial level of precision in their manufacturing can be anticipated. This ensures better accuracy than Russian production, just like the highly-regarded Finnish-made ammunition for firearms. For instance, the Lapua company's Finnish 7.62x53 mm R ammunition is superior to Russian sniper variants of 7.62x54 mm R cartridges.
Secondly, Nammo produces two types of 155 mm projectiles. The first is a conventional projectile containing 20 pounds of trinitrotoluene, with ranges of 15 miles for short-barrel (39 caliber) cannons like the FH-70 howitzers and 19 miles for longer-barrel (52 caliber) systems such as the Krab K9 Thunder or PzH 2000.
The second type is a shell equipped with a gas generator, which increases the range to 19 miles for shorter cannons and 25 miles for longer-barreled systems. This shell comes in two variants, the first contains 20 pounds of trinitrotoluene, and the second includes over 22 pounds of MCX-6100 explosive material, enhancing its destructive power.
