The Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has signed an agreement with the Republic of Estonia for the sale of long-range roving weapons amid fears of a Russian offensive in the Baltic. This deal is one of the most expensive the Republic has ever made and now, Estonian defense will be strengthened through a significant increase in its deterrent capability.
Estonia's Minister of Defense, Hanno Pevkur, said: "Long-range cruise missile systems are an important addition to Estonia's defense capabilities and it is impossible to quantify in words how important the ability to attack indirectly is. With the introduction of this new capability, Estonia will be able to attack from a longer range and as a result, the indirect fire becomes flexible, multi-layered, and with an even greater range of impact."
Estonia has entered into a procurement agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to purchase state-of-the-art long-range loitering munitions. pic.twitter.com/kP3BNuSoRk
— International Defence Analysis (@Defence_IDA) May 3, 2023
The CEO of IAI, Boaz Levy, said: "The Republic of Estonia is a strategic partner of IAI, and the signing of the new contract reflects the growing trust and depth of relations with Estonia. We offer a whole family of cruise missiles, suitable for sea and/or land interfaces, and provide a wide range of solutions from the tactical to the strategic level. The systems have been tested under battlefield conditions, have proven their reliability and capability, and are focused, effective, and powerful offensive weapon systems. IAI's roving armament systems are particularly useful for customers who are interested in flexibility and the ability to act decisively based on the information that the system itself acquires in real-time."
The director of the armaments department at Estonia’s Center for Defense Investment added: "The market for long-range roving weapon systems is lively these days. Recent conflicts such as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the war in Ukraine demonstrated the high efficiency of this type of offensive weapon and led to the development of this type of system by Several countries. New players are expected to enter the market soon and its future will include fierce competition when in the coming years it will be determined in which direction these systems will develop. As of today, we have placed an order for long-range weapon systems and in the future, we plan to purchase similar systems with different capabilities for shooting at different ranges."
Estonia has signed a contract with the Israel Aerospace Industries to acquire long-range loitering munitions, the state-owned arms firm says. Price unknown. IAI attaches pictures of Mini Harpy and Harop munitions. pic.twitter.com/THhNYm0V9Q
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 2, 2023
The choice of Estonia in choosing the Israeli defense company was made at the end of an in-depth market research carried out by the Republic, in which they looked for a suitable system that meets all the criteria, including accuracy, the robustness of the armament systems, and the ability to strike against many targets at the same time. This is another achievement for the Israeli corporation and the strengthening of the company's relations with Estonia. In October 2021, the Estonian Center for Defense Investments signed a contract with Proteus Advanced Systems Ltd., a joint subsidiary of the Israeli Aerospace Industry, and ST Ground Systems Engineering Ltd., under which the Estonian security forces were equipped with surface-to-sea missiles.
