Finland To Buy $37Mln Worth Of Anti-Tank Cluster Rounds - Defense Ministry

The Finnish Defense Ministry announced plans on Saturday to buy a 35-million-euro ($37-million) batch of anti-tank cluster rounds from French arms maker Nexter Munitions

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2023) The Finnish Defense Ministry announced plans on Saturday to buy a 35-million-euro ($37-million) batch of anti-tank cluster rounds from French arms maker Nexter Munitions.

"The Ministry of Defense has authorized the Defense Forces to procure more 155 mm Bonus MK II special munitions for anti-tank weapons of the artillery," it said in a statement.

This is Finland's third procurement announcement in a week. It also plans to buy 11 million euros worth of TRG M10 precision rifles and 37 million euros worth of NLAW anti-tank missiles.

All supplies will be financed from an auxiliary budget, which includes extra funding for the procurement of rapidly launched defense materiel, the ministry said.

Bonus MK II 155-millimeter target-seeking munitions are produced in cooperation with Sweden's BAE Systems. They are used by several countries, including Finland, France, Sweden and the United States.

The munitions do not fall under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use of cluster weapons in warfare, because they contain only two heavy warheads per shell, can lock on a target and are equipped with an electronic self-destruct mechanism.