Germany, Latvia, and Norway have signed an agreement for cooperation on the joint purchase of DM 22 guided anti-tank mines under Germany’s leadership.

Hartpunkt media reported on this.

“The agreement demonstrates how, through close international cooperation, we can equip our armed forces with urgently needed capabilities more quickly and efficiently. Together with our partners, we are strengthening European defense — in a concrete and future-oriented way,” Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki, National Armaments Director in the German Ministry of Defence, announced.

It is noted that the agreement is not limited to these three countries — other countries can also participate in the joint procurement.

In addition, partner countries can now also independently purchase DM 22 anti-tank mines by joining the existing German framework agreement with the manufacturer through a special agreement.

According to the media, the manufacturer is currently setting up a new production line to expand production. Deliveries of guided anti-tank mines to the German army and two NATO members are planned to start in 2027.

After the transfer of anti-tank mines from the Bundeswehr to Ukraine, Germany signed a framework agreement on November 14, 2023, with the manufacturer TDW GmbH, owned by MBDA Deutschland, to purchase up to 10,000 DM 22.

Of these, 2,600 anti-tank mines were immediately placed as firm orders worth €67.8 million.

A technical modification of DM 22 mines is required to launch the new production, as the components used previously are no longer available after a long production pause. A demonstration batch was planned to be produced in 2025, with deliveries starting in 2026.

DM 22 Anti-Tank Mine

Unlike older anti-tank mines, the DM 22 is a directed-energy munition that is placed on roadsides and targets the side projection of passing vehicles with a cumulative warhead.

Once installed, the mine has a standby time of 40 days, after which it switches to a “safe” mode. It is activated when a vehicle drives over an optical fiber cable that is installed in the direction of fire along the road.

The DM 22 anti-tank mine weighs around 10 kg, with approximately 1.5 kg allocated to the tandem warhead. This allows the mine to target tanks protected by dynamic armor at a distance of 40 to 60 meters.

In the summer of 2024, TDW also introduced a new generation of DM 22 – PARM NextGen. Compared to the DM 22, the PARM NextGen offers, among other things, an effective range from 40 to 60 meters.

The new mine will feature a better initiation system, including vibration, acoustic, and infrared sensors to replace the fiber optic cable. They will allow the smart mine to verify detected targets. In addition, they will allow it to detect the distance to the target, initiating the charge at the best time, which the old system cannot provide. The second innovation will be introducing a radio control system that will allow the operator to remotely activate/deactivate a network of several mines at a distance of several hundred meters.