Estonia To Provide An Unspecified Number of Mistral MANPADS to Ukraine
On June 11, the Estonian Ministry of Defense announced a new military aid package for Ukraine to meet urgent air defense needs in the face of ongoing Russian aggression. According to the ministry, the package, whose value has not been disclosed, includes an undisclosed number of Mistral very short-range air defense missile systems (SHORAD) and related missiles for security purposes.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur stated that every military aid provided by the Tallinn government to Ukraine and its allies directly supports Estonia’s security interests, adding: “We put together the aid package so that it would be of maximum benefit to Ukraine, without the combat readiness of the Estonian Defense Forces suffering and without us being able to restore the necessary reserves as soon as possible.”
MISTRAL is a very short-range air defense weapon system that began to be developed in the mid-1970s by Matra BAe Dynamics, a France-based defense company currently known as MBDA. The system, which has three different versions (Mistral, Mistral-2 and Mistral-3) with the modernization work it has undergone over the years. It can be easily transported and operated from the ground, a vehicle, a building or a ship. The system weighs 20 kilograms, measures 1.86 meters in length and 90 millimeters in diameter, features a fire-and-forget firing mode, and includes an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker. The range of these systems, previously provided to Ukraine by Denmark, varies between 500 meters and 8000 meters.
In addition to Mistral MANPADS, Estonia has provided approximately €500 million ($547 million) in military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict. This support, which amounts to about 1.4% of Tallinn’s GDP, includes Javelin anti-tank missile systems, patrol boats, howitzers, artillery ammunition, anti-tank mines, anti-tank mortars, machine guns, vehicles, communication equipment, field hospitals, medical supplies, personal protective equipment (helmets, body armor, etc.), and military food rations. Furthermore, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has stated that Estonia will spend 0.25% of its GDP on military aid to Ukraine over the next four years.