Estonia Receives German Air Defense System

Reference News Network reported on June 25 According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur on June 22, the Estonian military and German defense company Diehl Defense announced that Estonia received its first German-made IRIS-T medium-range air defense system on Monday at the Amari Air Base near the capital Tallinn.

Estonian Air Force Commander Riivo Valgerg said, “This is an important day for the Estonian Defense Forces and the Estonian Air Force.”

He stated, “Our work to gradually establish an air defense system has just begun, and it may take us several months to provide the necessary training for our operators to deploy and use this system. Nevertheless, this still represents a qualitative leap in our air defense capabilities.”

Air defense capability is seen as a weak point for Estonia, which has agreed to purchase air defense systems together with neighboring Latvia. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, these two Baltic states view their eastern neighbor Russia as a threat.

The Estonian government has significantly increased military spending and is re-equipping its armed forces.

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said, “The war in Ukraine clearly demonstrates that strong air defense capability is a core component of national defense and is crucial for protecting our people, armed forces, and critical infrastructure.”

Two more IRIS-T systems are scheduled to be delivered to Estonia next year. Details regarding the costs have not been disclosed.

Diehl Defense stated that this deal is “Estonia's largest defense investment to date.”

The company's CEO, Helmut Lohr, stated that the delivery of the IRIS-T demonstrates the company's growth strategy and indicates that “even under the immense pressure currently facing the European air defense market, we are able to deliver.” (Translated by Hu Xue)