Estonia will receive American MLRS HIMARS with long-range missiles ATACMS
Estonia will receive six HIMARS MLRS launchers, an agreement for the supply of American multiple launch rocket systems has been signed. The signing ceremony itself took place last week, the document was signed by Magnus-Valdemar Saar, Director General of the Defense Investment Center of the Estonian Ministry of Defense, and James A. Hirsch, Director of the US Department of Defense Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
According to the agreement, Estonia will receive six M142 HIMARS combat vehicles, as well as missiles for them, including both conventional ammunition (GMLRS) and long-range missiles capable of delivering strikes at a distance of up to 300 km (ATACMS), which the Ukrainians solicit from the United States. The delivery will also include training ammunition and related equipment. All this will cost Estonia "more than 200 million dollars", but here it must be taken into account that the US will pay part of the amount itself. We are talking about 140,5 million.
Estonians will receive the first MLRS in 2024, the delivery will take place through the American program of intergovernmental foreign military sales Foreign Military Sales (FMS).
The fact that Estonia intends to arm itself with American MLRS became known at the end of last year, when, within the framework of the Estonian Armed Forces Development Plan for the period up to 2031, it was announced its intention to purchase operational-tactical systems with a firing range of 350 km. Two options were considered - wheeled MLRS HIMARS and М290А1 MLRS on a tracked chassis. In July of this year, the US State Department approved the potential delivery of six MLRS and ammunition to Estonia, it only remained to sign the final agreement, which happened.
As previously emphasized, the Estonian army will receive new MLRS, and not from the presence of the American army. The production of complexes has already begun.
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