During this week the Estonian Army is planned to receive a shipment of Javelin anti-tank missiles from the United States. These missile systems will further modernize and strengthen the Estonian Army and allow them to build a bigger deterrence against Russia.
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| Javelin missile system in action |
Over the past years Estonia, like the other former Warsaw Pact countries who joined NATO, made great efforts in building a modern army. Much of its Cold War equipment has been replaced by new western made arms. The purchase of the Javelin missiles marks another achievement in this process.
The Javelin is a fire-and-forget missile with lock-on before launch and automatic self-guidance. The system takes a top-attack flight profile against armored vehicles (attacking the top armor, which is generally thinner), but can also take a direct-attack mode for use against buildings. This missile also has the ability to engage helicopters in the direct attack mode.
The Javelin replaces the MULAN and MAPATS systems currently in use by the Estonian Army. Estonia purchased 80 weapons systems with the combined cost with ammunition coming to around 40 million euros.
The first weapons will be delivered to the Viru Infantry Battalion in Jõhvi with the Defense Forces set to be fully equipped and trained by 2018. Some Defense League units will also be equipped with Javelin systems.
Analysis
The Javelin anti-tank missile system is a significant upgrade compared to the older anti-tank missile systems currently in use. The Javelin allows Estonia to create a modern deterrence against Russia’s modern battle tanks like the T-14 Armata.
Russia’s 76thGuards Air Assault Division based in Pskov near the Estonian border is one of the few modern permanent readiness groups in the Russian Army
These groups have recently been expanded by an armored regiment and are equipped with modern military systems in order to form the core of a Russian professional and modern army.
The capability to effectively fight modern tanks with modern anti-tank missiles will provide another small increase in deterrence against Russia. Estonia still fears, like the other Baltic States, a Russian invasion or a localized conflict like Eastern Ukraine.
Modern anti-tank missiles will also force Russia to deploy more modern tank equipment against Estonia in order to deal effectively with the threat posed by the Javelin system on the battlefield.
