Denmark is the latest nation to decide to procure Finnish-made Blocker naval mines, just one day after Lithuania moved to advance its own contract to acquire the weapon system.
According to a report in Defense News, Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence similarly stated that its procurement of Blocker mines is being conducted under the Naval Mines Cooperation (NMC), an acquisition agreement that evolved from a dedicated scheme launched in 2024. The armed forces of Finland, where the mines are produced, and Estonia already operate these proximity mines, with Estonia having acquired them back in 2021.
The Danish acquisition is being carried out under a five-nation joint procurement framework that includes Finland and Lithuania, as well as Germany and Norway, which have not yet publicly announced a contract to acquire the naval system.
Beyond joint procurement, the NMC agreement is intended to bolster cooperation in logistics, instruction and training, exercises, and system lifecycle management, the Danish Ministry of Defence stated.
The Finnish military signed a contract in June with manufacturer Forcit Defence on behalf of the five nations participating in the NMC procurement framework, with the Finnish government noting that the value of the signed contract stands at hundreds of millions of euros.
Ten nations originally signed the initial letter of intent for the agreement: Belgium, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Finland, and Estonia, all of which are NATO members.
Germany may still announce its own procurement decision later this year, German defense industry outlet Hartpunkt reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The Finnish military noted in an official statement that Finland’s selection to lead the naval mine cooperation project reflects the long-standing capabilities of the Finnish naval service in naval mining.
Forcit Defence advertises that the Blocker mine features an explosive yield equivalent to one ton of TNT and is capable of detecting vessels using a wide array of sensors.
Naval mines have taken center stage in global headlines this year following Iran’s use of the technology to block the Strait of Hormuz and hold a significant portion of the global energy supply hostage in response to the American-Israeli campaign against it.
The Baltic Sea has also become a major flashpoint, particularly since 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. With Finland and Sweden joining NATO, the sea is now almost entirely encircled by alliance members, with the exception of the coastlines of Russia’s Kaliningrad and Leningrad regions.
This posture poses a strategic headache for Russia, whose naval vessels must navigate through the narrow Danish straits and then through Kattegat and Skagerrak to reach the open ocean. Russia has repeatedly warned that it will not accept being cut off from access to the Atlantic Ocean.
Nikolai Patrushev, an aide to President Vladimir Putin and chairman of Russia’s Maritime Collegium, said in a February interview with Russian newspaper Argumenty i Fakty, which was republished by the Maritime Collegium, that if a firm response is not given, the British, French, and Baltic nations will attempt to completely block Russian access to the seas of the Atlantic basin, adding that if the situation is not resolved peacefully, the Russian Navy will break and eliminate the blockade.