Estonia and Latvia will jointly purchase the air defense systems

The two Baltic states have decided to jointly purchase air defense systems to protect their airspace.

Defense24.pl writes about this.

The Defense Ministers of Estonia and Latvia have announced that preliminary steps were taken to jointly purchase medium-range air defense systems.

Ministers Hanno Pevkur and Artis Pabriks spoke on the joint decision on August 1 in the ETV news broadcast after their meeting in Riga.

Estonia had initiated the joint project.

It was reported that approximately 15 defense enterprises will be involved in the implementation of the project.

According to the Ministry of Defense of Latvia, the joint purchase of the air defense systems will ensure mutual coordination of actions along with the effective use of defense means.

It will also assist in strengthening the stability and security of the Baltic region as a whole.

Latvia has approved that Estonia will run the technical procurement process through the Estonian Defense Investment Center (Estonian: Riigi Kaitseinvesteeringute Keskus).

Both countries have decided to start procurement procedures at the end of June. Now, the governments should decide on the scope of the tender, which, according to the Estonian Minister, will be discussed at the cabinet level “in the coming weeks.”

The Estonian minister mentioned that at the moment, the choice of the manufacturer is in discussions, “as there are five or seven of them in the world, and the authorities would have to decide on it.”

The reports do not mention any specific air defense systems. Most likely, they will cover the NASAMS, which are being used in Lithuania and Finland.