Spain To Send NASAMS Air Defense Systems To Estonia
Due to the Russia-Ukraine war, Spain will deploy a NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) air defense system in Estonia next April to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank. The deployment was decided on 14 February by Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles and her Estonian counterpart, Hanno Pevkur, at a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels.
“The Eastern flank of NATO has grown its muscle significantly over the past year,” Estonian defense minister Hanno Pevkur said during the sidelines of the NATO defense ministers meeting. “Considering the need to fill this critical gap in our medium-range air defense capabilities, I am very glad that we reached an agreement with Spain on the deployment of their NASAMS medium-range ground-based air defense system for four months, starting this April,”. Pevkur added that Spain’s support is important for Estonia, which is awaiting the arrival of its own air defense systems.
The Baltic country, which, like its neighbor Latvia, does not currently have any medium-range air defense systems, decided to increase its defense spending last year in order to purchase air defense systems and more weapons. Estonia is expected to complete the purchase contract for a medium-range air defense system by the summer, having reached the final stage of the procurement process. It is currently unknown which air defense system Estonia is interested in. However, statements made by Estonian authorities to date indicate that NASAMS procurement is being considered.
In the course of his speech, Pevkur stated that the deployment of the Spanish NASAMS air defense system on Estonian territory is a temporary solution, but that the country is already planning for a more long-term solution. To that end, the defense minister stated that, along with Latvia and Lithuania, they have proposed to NATO the establishment of an air defense rotation model similar to the current Baltic Air Policing mission, and that “hopefully, subsequent rotations in cooperation with Allies will also become possible.”
According to Estonia’s defense ministry, the NASAMS air defense system will be deployed at the Ämari Air Base, in the strategic region in the north of the country, under the command of NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). These systems will be linked to another NASAMS air defense system deployed in Latvia by Spain as part of NATO’s eastern flank air and missile defense. Furthermore, the deployment of these systems in Estonia is important for allowing the army to learn the tactical features of a medium-range air defense system and gain experience in integrating the system with other defense systems.