Estonia plans to procure a long-range air-defense system for a potential Russian ballistic missile attack.
The estimated 1-billion-euro ($1.10-billion) purchase has a trio of likely contenders, including Israeli David’s Sling, the American Patriot, and Franco-Italian SAMP/T, Estonian public broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) revealed, citing a senior official at the Estonian Center for Defense Investments (RKIK).
The potential purchase follows Tallinn’s procurement of the IRIS-T Surface Launched Missile (SLM) from Germany in September 2023.
A trio of IRIS-T SLM batteries was procured for 400 million euros ($439 million), including radars and control centers.
The first delivery is expected by the end of this year, while an additional purchase of IRIS-T ammunition is being planned.
The Diehl Defense system is capable of intercepting aerial targets, such as aircraft and cruise missiles, up to a range of 40 kilometers (25 miles).
A longer-range version, the IRIS-T SLX missile, is some years away from production. It has a stated range of 80 kilometers (50 miles).
IRIS-T SLM Insufficient
Limited range and the inability to counter ballistic missiles prompted Estonian decision makers to look for a more capable system.
“We are going to procure long-range air defense, with capabilities against ballistic missiles,” ERR quoted category manager at RKIK Mati Tikerpuu as saying.
Estonia shares its eastern border with Russia and feels vulnerable to Moscow’s ballistic missiles such as the 9K720 Iskander-M, which has a range of 500 kilometers (311 miles) and travels at a speed of around 8,000 kilometers (497 miles) per hour.
The country’s requirement is for a system that can intercept the incoming missile from a range of 100 kilometers (62 miles) at an altitude of 20 kilometers (12 miles).
Due to Estonia’s proximity with Russia, an exoatmospheric anti-ballistic missile system, such as the Arrow 3, is not being considered.
“Since our adversary is right on our doorstep, they won’t have to fire from such a long range,” Tikerpuu was quoted as saying by ERR.
All three manufacturers have already been sounded out and more detailed discussions on quantity, delivery timeline, and price are expected in coming months.
The procurement amount has not been specified but is likely to be in the billions of euros.
