Estonia orders HIMARS

The ECDI signed a contract with the DSCA on 3 December for the procurement of six Lockheed Martin HIMARS MLRSs. (ECDI)

The Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) announced in a press release on 3 December that its director general, Magnus-Valdemar Saar, had signed a contract with the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) for the procurement of six Lockheed Martin High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRSs) worth USD200 million. The procurement also includes different types of missiles with ranges from 70 to 300 km, communication systems, training, logistics, and life-cycle solutions, according to the ECDI. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2024.

The US Department of State approved the sale of up to six HIMARS to Estonia under the Foreign Military Sales programme in July. Announcing the potential sale on 15 July, the US DSCA said Estonia had also requested up to 36 M30A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) alternative warhead missile pods with an insensitive munitions propulsion system (IMPS) and frequency-modulated continuous wave-directional Doppler ranging (FMCW-DDR) proximity height-of-burst (HOB) sensor capability; up to 36 M31A2 GMLRS unitary high-explosive (HE) missile pods with IMPS and FMCW-DDR proximity HOB sensor capability; up to 36 XM403 Extended-Range (ER) GMLRS alternative warhead missile pods with IMPS and side-mounted proximity sensor (SMPS) HOB capability; up to 36 XM404 ER GMLRS unitary pods with IMPS and SMPS HOB capability; and up to 18 M57 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile pods. It included M28A2 low-cost reduced-range practice rocket pods, ruggedised laptops, training equipment, publications for HIMARS and munitions/missiles, and other related elements of programme and logistic support.