Draft:Arvo Saloranta

Arvo Ensio Saloranta (26 December 1895- 3 April 1976) Was a Finnish weapons designer and major general. He is known for developing the Lahti-Saloranta M/26 with Aimo Lahti. Saloranta is known for his work in developing a few mines such as the Panssarimiina m/S-39 and m/S-40 and some detonators.

Saloranta first studied in the military academy in Denmark from 1920 till his graduation in 1923. From 1925 to 1927 he became chief of the Defense Ministry Ordnance Department. He became chief of the VKT from 1927 to 1929. However due to a scandal in 1928 called the "relining scandal", wherein military rifles equipped with relined barrels were found to be of an inferior quality, he was fined 1.34 million markkas and sentenced to 20 days in prison. Moreover, he was involved in another scandal in 1929 due to him making unauthorised modifications to the M/26 just as it began being manufactured. He was removed from his post for this and he became chief of a local gunsmith school (Aseseppäkoulu) 2 months later till 1938 from where the Winter War began and he served as head of the Ministry of Defence's weapons planning department. Afterwards, Saloranta served as Chief of Ordnance Department from 1947 to 1952, and from 1952 till 1955 onwards as Master General of Ordnance.