Spike LR
As according to a requirement set by Estonia, the weapons system must have a range of at least 4,000m, the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) will likely purchase Spike LR, Spike LR2 or Spoke ER missiles, provided that the offer by EuroSpike is deemed consistent with the terms of the procurement and successful. The Spike LR has a range of up to 4km; the latter two missiles have a range of 5.5km and 8km, respectively.
Priit Soosaar, head of the Procurement Department at the ECDI, said that the weapons to be acquired must be in serial production and in use in the armed forces of at least one NATO member state. The plan is to purchase at least 18 weapons systems complete with ammunition, and the supplier must also supply auxiliary equipment and provide technical support and also training.
The system to be procured will significantly improve the antitank capability of the EDF's infantry brigades as the range and capacity to impact the enemy even when they are out of line of sight will increase, Maj. Alar Karileet, coordinator of the procurement at the EDF, said in October.
According to Karileet, the new equipment, which includes the so-called fire-and-update operation mode, is an improved version of the antitank weapons currently in use by the EDF. A nose-mounted camera on the missile will enable the operator to receive real-time intelligence and update target information even when there is no direct sight between the operator and the target. The weapon, ammunition and auxiliary equipment need to be man-portable as well as usable when attached to a vehicle, he added.
The weapons systems to be purchased are meant for an upgrade of the weaponry of the antitank companies of Estonia's infantry brigades, where conscripts will be trained in their use.
"Training in the use of said weapon systems is very fast, cost-effective and efficient thanks to modern simulation and training equipment," Karileet explained. "Training for instructors and active service personnel of the EDF also accounts for a substantial part of the procurement."
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