Biggest upgrade since 1991
Estonia and Latvia want to buy IRIS-T anti-aircraft defenses
May 21, 2023 at 4:39 pm
Air defense is considered a weak point of the Baltic states. Given the war in Ukraine, Estonia and Latvia now want to acquire the German IRIS-T-SLM air defense system. The purchase agreement may be signed soon.
Estonia and Latvia want to jointly acquire the German medium-range air defense system IRIS-T-SLM. The two Baltic EU and NATO countries want to open talks with manufacturer Diehl Defense, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said after a meeting with his Latvian counterpart Inara Murnese in Riga. If these go well, the deal could be signed in the summer.
The first systems could be deployed later in 2025. Murnees said that the soldiers should be trained and infrastructure should be established by then. The ministers gave no further information on how many weapons systems would be purchased and at what cost. According to Murnese, this would be the largest arms deal since Latvia regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. For his part, Bevkur talked about the amount of several hundred million euros.
Air defense is considered a weak point of the Baltic states. Estonia and Latvia border Russia, and Latvia shares its closest ally with Belarus. The two Baltic states view Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine as a direct threat to their security. They are already massively increasing their military spending and upgrading their armed forces.
According to the manufacturer, the IRIS-T SLM air defense system provides protection against attacks by aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles. Each unit has a radar, command post and three truck-mounted rocket launchers. The system can fire at targets at an altitude of 20 kilometers and at a distance of 40 kilometers.
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