Finland's military has restarted training with anti-personnel mines and launched an urgent procurement program for modern systems, following the country's official withdrawal from the Ottawa Treaty on January 10. The move marks a definitive shift in Finnish defense posture, with the army aiming to field new domestically produced infantry mines by late 2027.
"The goal is modern, simple infantry mines. We are not going back to those old mines," said Pioneer Inspector, Colonel Riku Mikkonen of the Finnish Army during a media briefing at the Kainuu Brigade in Kajaani on Tuesday. Mikkonen emphasized that the new mines would be different from the traditional tube and stake mines phased out in 2012, but functionally similar. "If we talk about those old mines, they are not coming back. But in type, a tube mine is a fragmentation mine attached to a stake or a tree, so most likely something like that will come. And if we talk about a stake mine, a footpath mine that is on or below the ground surface and pressure-activated, then yes, we intend to get that kind too," he clarified.
Training and Procurement Timeline Accelerates
The initiation of mine training and procurement preparations was directly enabled by the legal exit from the international ban. Colonel Mikkonen stated that discussions with domestic manufacturers have already begun in recent weeks. He revealed that the unit cost for the new mines could range from a few tens of euros to a maximum of a couple hundred euros each, presenting a specific price bracket for industry partners. The Army's target is to have the new systems in operational use by the end of 2027, setting a clear deadline for development and production cycles.
A Call for Innovation to Finnish Industry
A central pillar of the strategy is domestic sourcing. Mikkonen made a direct appeal to Finnish companies and developers for ideas. "In quotes, modern tube and stake mines will come. But I hope that companies and developers will come up with ideas on what kind of new features that facilitate use could be. How the mine could be simple to install, for instance, for our reservists," Mikkonen said. He acknowledged the Army is also conducting its own research and development internally. This approach suggests a collaborative procurement model, seeking to leverage national industrial expertise to create systems tailored to Finland's specific territorial defense needs and the user profile of its conscript-based military.
Building a Domestic Production Chain
The procurement model may involve multiple Finnish companies specializing in different components. Mikkonen outlined a potential distributed manufacturing chain. "It could happen that companies have different strengths and the whole consists of all of them. Someone might be good at making charge casings, another might want to focus on, say, making fuses. It may be that we buy components from different sources and then a third party or one of these previous ones assembles them. This can be quite possible," he explained. He also noted the possibility of integrating the Defense Forces' own Explosive Center into the private manufacturers' chain, which could handle the production of explosives or charge casings.
The Road to 2027
The coming years will see simultaneous tracks of soldier training on mine warfare principles and a competitive development phase within the Finnish defense industry. The Army's clear specifications for simplicity and cost-effectiveness will drive this process. Colonel Mikkonen's public briefing serves as both an announcement of a new capability and an official market call. The success of the program will depend on the ability of Finnish industry to deliver innovative and reliable solutions within the defined budget and timeline, ultimately aiming to add a layered, cost-effective barrier component to the nation's comprehensive defense structure.