IN Brief:
- Finland will procure RGW110 shoulder-fired weapons from Dynamit Nobel Defence for approximately €84.5m excluding VAT.
- The Army selected the system following assessments of armour penetration, portability, and performance in Finnish operating conditions.
- Deliveries and training begin in 2027, replacing APILAS within Finland's layered anti-armour capability.
Finland has selected the RGW110 heavy anti-tank weapon from Dynamit Nobel Defence under a procurement valued at approximately €84.5m excluding VAT, replacing the Army’s ageing APILAS system with a newer shoulder-fired weapon.
Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen authorised the Finnish Defence Forces to proceed with the acquisition on 28 October. Deliveries of the weapons and associated training equipment will begin in 2027, alongside instruction for personnel who will operate the new system.
The procurement follows an Army assessment of anti-armour performance, portability, and suitability for Finnish operating conditions. The Defence Forces evaluated candidate weapons against requirements informed by national research and testing, including the characteristics of contemporary armoured vehicle protection.
APILAS has served as Finland’s heavy close-range anti-tank weapon since the 1980s. Its replacement forms part of a wider effort to modernise equipment used by land forces, complementing the Army’s existing combination of guided missiles, mines, and other anti-armour capabilities.
The RGW110 is a 110mm, single-use recoilless weapon intended for infantry. It belongs to Dynamit Nobel Defence’s family of shoulder-fired systems, which includes the RGW60 and RGW90, and draws on the manufacturer’s experience developing the Panzerfaust 3 anti-armour weapon.
A single-use configuration combines the launcher and ammunition into equipment carried and operated by an individual soldier. Once fired, the launcher is expended, so the supply system must provide complete replacement weapons rather than replacement rounds for a reusable launching assembly.
That arrangement influences ammunition storage, transport, training, and the equipment carried by infantry. Finland required a weapon that could be handled while wearing standard combat equipment and used across the environmental conditions encountered by its forces.
The Army placed particular emphasis on the ability to engage modern armoured vehicles fitted with substantial passive and reactive protection. Explosive reactive armour is designed to interfere with the penetrating effects of certain incoming weapons, creating additional performance requirements for the anti-armour system selected.
Finnish assessments therefore considered the performance of candidate warheads against the protection specified by the Defence Forces. The Army tested the system meeting its requirements against a representative protected target and worked with the manufacturer on further development of the warhead.
The resulting assessment provided a technical basis for selecting RGW110. Detailed performance figures for Finland’s ordered configuration have not been published, and the manufacturer’s wider product specifications should not be treated as a complete description of the national procurement.
Because RGW110 is an unguided weapon, its intended employment differs from that of a guided anti-tank missile. The absence of a guidance system affects its useful engagement distance and places greater importance on conditions such as visibility, terrain, and the opportunity to establish a suitable firing position.
Finland’s fragmented terrain influenced the selection. Forests, changes in elevation, and other landscape features frequently restrict observation distances, making close-range anti-armour equipment a relevant component of the Army’s wider defensive arrangements.
Operations in built-up areas introduce different constraints, including restricted movement and limited space around soldiers and their equipment. The Defence Forces required the replacement system to remain usable across varied terrain, lighting, and weather conditions, rather than serve only one type of operating environment.
The relationship between weapon capability and portability was another consideration. A heavy infantry weapon must provide sufficient performance against its intended targets without imposing an excessive burden on personnel already carrying protective equipment, communications systems, ammunition, and other supplies.
The Army’s requirement to use the weapon with a soldier’s existing equipment means that handling characteristics, dimensions, and transport arrangements form part of the acquisition assessment. Those factors also influence the organisation of training and the quantities of equipment that can be distributed to individual units.
Finland will introduce RGW110 within a layered anti-armour capability in which different weapons provide options at different distances and under different conditions. Guided missile systems offer capabilities suited to longer engagements, while shoulder-fired weapons provide a separate category of equipment for closer-range requirements.
Maintaining several equipment types creates demands on the logistics organisation. Stocks must be managed according to the weapon concerned, while personnel require training in the operating and safety procedures applicable to each system.
The new procurement includes training equipment and instruction, allowing the Defence Forces to introduce the RGW110 alongside the arrangements needed to operate and maintain the supply of weapons. The transition also requires management of existing APILAS stocks as the replacement programme progresses.
Dynamit Nobel Defence manufactures shoulder-fired weapon systems in Germany and is owned by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Its industrial responsibilities under the Finnish programme will include delivery of the selected equipment, supported by the training and associated materials covered by the acquisition.
Production scheduling will depend on the number of weapons ordered and the delivery arrangements agreed with the customer. Finland has disclosed the overall procurement value and the planned start of deliveries, but has not published the quantity purchased or a final completion date.
The acquisition adds to Finland’s wider investment in land force equipment and anti-armour capability. Manufacturing, training, and the introduction of replacement stocks will proceed from 2027, with RGW110 assuming the heavy close-range role previously performed by APILAS.
