The handover marks a milestone for Estonian defense. Air Force Chief Riivo Valge called it an “important day for the Estonian armed forces and the Estonian Air Force.” The Iris-T system allows Estonia, which borders Russia, to engage aerial targets at greater range and altitude than its previous short-range weapons.
Air defense had long been considered a weak point of the Baltic EU and NATO member. Estonia and neighboring Latvia jointly agreed to the purchase. Both countries see Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine as an immediate threat to their own security and have already significantly increased their military spending.
Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur stressed that the war has shown the need for strong air defense. It is “a central component of national defense and for protecting our population.” The Estonian military is to receive a total of three units of the system; the remaining two will be delivered next year. Neither the military nor Diehl Defence disclosed the purchase price. Helmut Rauch said the delivery exemplifies the manufacturer’s growth strategy and shows “that we can deliver even under the significant demand pressure that the European air defense market is currently experiencing.”
Source: www.zeit.de
