DOPPELADLER.COM

theoderich hat geschrieben: ↑So 12. Apr 2026, 15:35 Estland kauft drei zusätzliche Raketenwerfer HIMARS, die 2027 geliefert werden sollen. Lockheed Martin beabsichtigt im Rahmen des Vertrags auch den Aufbau einer Wartungseinrichtung in Estland für 11 Mio. $:

https://www.facebook.com/kaitseministee ... X8HJjNZgzl

Hanno Pevkur told Postimees on Monday evening that the U.S. decision does not affect only Estonia but applies to ammunition deliveries to all parties. «For now, deliveries have been put on hold while the conflict with Iran continues,» the defence minister said.

According to Pevkur, the decision primarily concerns ammunition. «This includes HIMARS munitions and Javelin anti-tank systems.»

U.S. ammunition depots are not yet empty, but the Americans must be prepared for various scenarios in the Iran war, the minister explained. «They need to secure their rear, not knowing how long the conflict will last.»

When asked what impact the U.S. decision might have on Estonia’s defence capability, Pevkur said that, for now, it has little effect. «In terms of anti-tank capability, we currently have sufficient weapons and ammunition. As for HIMARS, it is possible to cooperate with allies if there is an urgent need.»

The U.S. Secretary of War said yesterday that we can no longer expect to receive ammunition under the original plan. We will get it once the war in Iran is over. But no one knows when that will be. This means that we have purchased very expensive HIMARS equipment, worth billions, but which in principle we cannot do much with.

Fortunately, the HIMARS systems and our long-range strike capabilities as a whole do not cost a billion, but it is still a very large sum in any case — hundreds of millions if we are talking about everything, including the ammunition.

On the one hand, we must understand that the U.S. is currently involved in a conflict and is trying to stock itself and ensure that it is prepared if this war lasts longer. On the other, it is not in their interests to damage allied ties nor to lose confidence in their defense industry such that no one would buy from them in the future.

And this is actually a ray of hope for us. Then there's the midterm elections — Americans want to wrap up this war as quickly as possible and restore all deliveries, not only to Estonia but to all allies. This decision affects all allies, not only Estonia.

What can be fired using them if the original HIMARS weaponry cannot be obtained? What missile is put into it, and does anyone make anything similar?

Naturally they do. The other system that we are bringing to Estonia and for which the contract has already been signed — the [South Korean] Hanwha multiple rocket launcher Chunmoo system — is very similar to HIMARS. Technically speaking, there is nothing complicated about this: it is a launcher into which a projectile of a certain caliber is inserted. If we are talking about the GMLRS system, that involves a package of six rockets, and in the case of ATACMS, which has a [longer] range of 300 kilometers, one missile is loaded. [Alternatives to] these systems do in fact exist, with the prerequisite that both Lockheed Martin and the U.S. government grant permission. Naturally, we are not looking only at the HIMARS system, but are searching for other alternatives too. Our goal is to influence the enemy from as far away as is possible and, when acquiring systems, to ensure that we really have them available.