“The main aim of the procurement is to arm the 2nd Brigade and for that we will need to deliver over 200 vehicles in both 6×6 and 4×4,” Karmo Saar, the ECDI’s Air Force, Navy and Armoured Equipment Category Manager, told ESD on 18 May. “Both the tenders for 6×6 and 4×4 are still ongoing and the results are not yet decided,” he added.
Estonia to Purchase Approximately €200 Million Worth of New Armoured Vehicles
The Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) has signed contracts with Nurol Makina and Otokar companies today to supply the Estonian Defence Forces with around 230 wheeled armoured vehicles. Additionally, four wheeled armoured vehicles have been purchased for the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Centre of the Estonian Rescue Board. These armoured vehicles are intended to safeguard the members of the Defence Forces in combat situations, ensuring their rapid and secure deployment on the battlefield.
The new armoured vehicles will be acquired for the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Defence Forces, which has not previously had wheeled armoured vehicles. Furthermore, additional armoured vehicles will be purchased for the 1st Infantry Brigade and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Centre of the Estonian Rescue Board.
The procured armoured vehicles are divided into two categories: 4×4 armoured vehicles, which will be used by smaller teams in both the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigades, and 6×6 armoured vehicles, which will serve as armoured personnel carriers in the 2nd Infantry Brigade. The 4×4 armoured vehicles are of the NMS model, to be supplied by Nurol Makina, while the 6×6 armoured vehicles are the Arma model, to be supplied by Otokar. The first armoured vehicles are expected to arrive in Estonia in 2024.
The new armoured vehicles will be adapted to the specific needs of the Defence Forces and certified for protection against both small arms fire and mine blasts. For security purposes, the vehicles are equipped with a smoke grenade launcher and a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun mounted on the roof turret of the vehicle.
The contracts for the wheeled armoured vehicles have a duration of ten years and allow for additional armoured vehicle and spare parts purchases if necessary. The estimated cost of the procurement is approximately 200 million euros, which includes the vehicles, documentation, training, special tools and equipment and spare parts. These contracts can also be used to request services for the maintenance, repairs, and development of the vehicles.
In addition to the procurement contracts, Estonian Minister of Defence H.E. Mr Hanno Pevkur and Turkish Minister of Defence H.E. Mr Yaşar Güler signed a Letter of Intent, establishing the basis for defence industry cooperation between the two countries. Additionally, an agreement for cooperation was signed between the ECDI and the Turkish Defence Industry Agency to ensure secure supplies of armoured vehicle-related materials and services, as well as the joint organization of training and development activities.
Estonia awarded Otokar €130 million contract for the supply of ARMA 6x6 Vehicles
The Estonian Centre for Defence Investment (ECDI) has awarded Otokar, the global land systems manufacturer of Türkiye, a contract for the supply of ARMA 6x6 Armored Personnel Carriers, at a value of around EUR-130 Million including maintenance equipment and training services, where the deliveries are planned to be initiated in the second half of 2024 and completed by 2025. The agreement was signed between Magnus Valdemar Saar, ECDI (Estonian Centre for Defence Investments) Director General and Sedef Vehbi, Otokar Military Cluster Head on October 18th, 2023 in Estonia.
SAHA Expo 2024 – Otokar looks at the future; considerations by the new General Manager
In Europe we acquired an order from Estonia for our Arma 6×6 and we are currently producing those vehicles, first deliveries being planned for next year.
IAV 2025: Estonia receives NMS and Otokar Arma armoured vehicles from Türkiye
Estonia is receiving deliveries of the Nurol Makina NMS 4×4 vehicles and Otokar Arma 6×6 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) it is procuring, Janes learnt at Defence iQ's International Armoured Vehicles (IAV) 2025 conference held under the Chatham House Rule in Farnborough from 21 to 23 January.
Estonia ordered the NMS and Arma vehicles on 18 October 2023. At the time, the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) announced that it had signed contracts worth EUR200 million (over USD208 million) with the two Turkish companies for 230 vehicles, plus documentation, training, special tools, equipment, and spare parts, while Otokar said that the Arma contract was worth EUR130 million.
The NMS and Arma vehicles are equipping the Estonian Defence Forces' (EDF's) 2nd Infantry Brigade, with the 1st Infantry Brigade also receiving the NMS.
The contracts are valid for 10 years and allow for the procurement of additional armoured vehicles and spare parts, and for requests for maintenance, repairs, and the development of the vehicles. Four NMS vehicles are also being procured for the Estonian Rescue Board's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Centre. The Estonian NMS is the extended wheelbase (EWB) model, and most of the NMS and Arma vehicles are standard troop carrier versions while some are command-and-control vehicles, according to the ECDI.
Deliveries began during the second half of 2024 and are planned to take one and a half years, Janes learnt at IAV 2025.
The Estonian Defence Forces and the Rescue Board Receive New Armored Vehicles
The Estonian Centre for Defence Investments has handed over nearly fifty newly acquired wheeled armored vehicles from Turkey to the 2nd Infantry Brigade. Most of these are 6×6 ARMA armored vehicles used by infantry units, but the Defence Forces have also received 4×4 NMS armored vehicles, which will be used by combat support units in both the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigades. Additionally, a smaller number of 4×4 armored vehicles have been procured for the Estonian Rescue Board.
The first wheeled armored vehicles arrived in Estonia at the end of 2024, and conscripts of the 2nd Infantry Brigade have already begun training with them. These vehicles will also be used in the Siil large-scale exercise in May. All ordered armored vehicles are expected to arrive in Estonia by the end of this year.
In addition to the Defence Forces, four new 4×4 wheeled armored vehicles produced in Turkey will also be added to the Ministry of the Interior’s jurisdiction. These vehicles will primarily be used by the Rescue Board’s bomb disposal units but will also be available for the Police and Border Guard Board and the Internal Security Service if needed.
The armored vehicle contracts have been signed for ten years, allowing for additional purchases of vehicles and spare parts as needed. The agreements also include provisions for maintenance, repairs, and further development of these vehicles.
