In a landmark moment for the country’s national defence, six HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems arrived in Estonia this week, marking a significant upgrade in the country’s long-range strike capabilities and deepening its military ties with the United States.
The weapons, formally handed over at Ämari Air Base on 30 April, are part of a trilateral Baltic initiative and among Estonia’s largest-ever arms procurements. Defence minister Hanno Pevkur hailed the event as a transformative step. “Estonia, in close cooperation with our most important and strategic NATO ally, the United States, has ushered in a new era of independent defence capability,” he said.
Capable of delivering precision strikes
The arrival of the HIMARS – short for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System – manufactured by Lockheed Martin, follows three and a half years of preparation, including procurement, unit formation and training. The Estonian Defence Forces have already begun preliminary instruction in partnership with the US, and the first live-fire exercises are expected this summer.
Capable of delivering precision strikes on targets over 300 kilometres (180 miles) away, the HIMARS is widely regarded as a battlefield-proven system that offers NATO-interoperable, mobile firepower. It has gained prominence in recent years for its effectiveness in the war in Ukraine.
“This is not merely a new weapons platform – it’s the materialisation of a joint Baltic force development programme,” Magnus-Valdemar Saar, the director general of the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments, said. “Latvia and Lithuania will soon receive their own systems, enabling the region’s militaries to project force deep into enemy territory. Cooperation of this scale is rare, and it’s been a privilege to partner with the United States and Lockheed Martin to make it happen.”
Part of a broader US security assistance
The HIMARS acquisition was formalised in December 2022, when Estonia signed a deal with the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency. The full package includes not only the rocket launchers but also munitions of varying range, secure communications systems, logistical support and life-cycle solutions.
Major General Indrek Sirel, the commander of the Estonian Division, said the systems would be integrated into divisional operations without delay. “Our soldiers have already trained alongside the US HIMARS units stationed in Estonia. Now we begin the next phase – developing and readying our own HIMARS unit within the division,” he noted.
The HIMARS deal forms part of a broader US security assistance package aimed at bolstering NATO’s eastern flank. From 2022 to 2024, American defence aid to Estonia more than tripled – from USD122 million over the previous three years to USD430 million. The funding has supported heavy munitions procurement, improved communications, air surveillance and night-fighting capability.
What is the HIMARS?
The M142 HIMARS is a truck-mounted rocket launcher developed by Lockheed Martin. It can fire precision-guided rockets and missiles up to 300 kilometres – and even farther with new systems – striking deep behind enemy lines with deadly accuracy.
Deployed by the US since the early 2000s, the HIMARS was first used in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it rose to global prominence in 2022 during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces used it to devastating effect – taking out ammunition depots, command centres and bridges with pinpoint strikes.
Fast, mobile and hard to detect, the HIMARS has reshaped modern artillery warfare – and now it’s part of Estonia’s arsenal.
