Defense minister to sign Javelin purchase contract

Photo: Jaanus Lensment / Postimees

Estonian Defense Minister Sven Mikser is to sign a contract on the purchase of Javelin anti-tank missile systems next Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of State approved sale of the Javelin anti-tank missile system to Estonia at the beginning of October. The value of the contract is 55 million dollars or around 43.3 million euros.

A spokesperson for the Defense Ministry told BNS on Friday that the exact amounts will become clear when the contract is signed.

Estonia has expressed a wish to buy 350 Javelin missiles and other equipment necessary for using the system as well as spare parts.

Mikser said Estonia's strategic ally the United States understands that in the changed security situation Estonia must increase deterrence against a possible aggressor. "With new anti-tank missile systems we will increase the fighting efficiency of the defense forces," he said at the beginning of October.

The government approved on Oct. 9 budget changes as a result of which the first payment for the Javelins can be made from this year's budget.

At the beginning of June the government tasked the defense minister with entering into talks with the United States to purchase third-generation Javelin anti-tank missile systems and sign the contract if the conditions are acceptable.

The effective range of the so-called fire-and-forget missile is from 65 meters to 2.5 kilometers. The anti-tank missile system has been used by the armed forces of the United States and many other countries since mid-1990s.