Finland to double ammunition production, build new factories

MILAN — The Finnish government has announced that it will invest over $130 million over the next three to four years to double the country’s production of artillery and mortar ammunition.

The decision, touted by the Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen in a Dec. 12 post on X, comes amid the European Union’s stagnant progress in increasing ammunition supplies to Ukraine.

Frans Peltonen, a senior specialist at the ministry’s materiel unit, told Defense News that the plans cover “heavy ammunition,” which means 155mm artillery shells as well as 81mm and 120mm mortar rounds. “This includes investments in the manufacturing of charges, propellants and explosive filling capacity – investments are expected to be completed between 2026-2027,” he said.

Peltonen declined to discuss production targets in keeping with government policy for keeping that information under wraps. The ramp-up is expected to lean on production sites of the Norwegian-Finnish Nammo group, one of the few major ammo producers in Europe, he said.

“The Finnish Defense Forces are currently responsible for the explosive filling of artillery and mortar rounds, with the Finnish industry, namely Nammo Lapua Oy and Nammo Vihtavuori Oy, responsible for producing various components and raw materials for ammo – propellants, charges and shell bodies,” Peltonen said.

In April, the New York Times reported that Nammo planned to increase its production rate to 200,000 artillery shells per year by 2028. At that time, Ukrainian forces were estimated to need a quarter of a million 155mm shells per month to fight off Russian troops.

Helsinki’s decision to double its shell manufacturing capability is tied to the government’s intention to increase support to Ukraine, according to Peltonen.

“This is a long-term commitment to increase our heavy ammunition production, which enables Finland to continue and increase its military aid to Ukraine in the future,” he said.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——芬兰政府宣布，将在未来三到四年内投资超过 1.3 亿美元，使该国的火炮和迫击炮弹药产量翻一番。

芬兰国防部长安蒂·哈卡宁在 12 月 12 日于 X 网站上发表的帖子中大力宣传了这一决定。与此同时，欧盟在增加对乌克兰的弹药供应方面进展停滞不前。

国防部物资部门高级专家弗兰斯·佩尔托宁告诉《防务新闻》，这些计划涵盖“重型弹药”，包括155毫米炮弹以及81毫米和120毫米迫击炮弹。“这包括对装药、推进剂和炸药装填能力的生产投资——预计投资将于2026年至2027年间完成，”他说道。

佩尔托宁拒绝透露具体的生产目标，这符合政府对相关信息保密的政策。他表示，此次增产预计将主要依靠挪威-芬兰合资的纳莫集团的生产基地，该集团是欧洲为数不多的几家大型弹药生产商之一。

佩尔托宁说：“芬兰国防军目前负责炮弹和迫击炮弹的爆炸装填，而芬兰工业，即 Nammo Lapua Oy 和 Nammo Vihtavuori Oy，则负责生产弹药的各种组件和原材料——推进剂、装药和弹体。”

今年 4 月，《纽约时报》报道称，Nammo 公司计划到 2028 年将其炮弹年产量提高到 20 万发。当时，据估计乌克兰军队每月需要 25 万发 155 毫米炮弹来对抗俄罗斯军队。

佩尔托宁表示，赫尔辛基决定将其炮弹制造能力提高一倍，与政府增加对乌克兰的支持的意图有关。

他说：“这是芬兰为增加重型弹药产量而做出的长期承诺，这将使芬兰能够在未来继续并增加对乌克兰的军事援助。”

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。