The United States has delivered 128 anti-tank Raytheon Javelin missiles to the Estonian ministry of defence and the Estonian Defence Forces as part of a contract.
The contract was originally signed by the Estonian Centre for Defence Investment and the US Department of Defense.
“The shipment will continue to build upon Estonia’s defensive capabilities and further strengthens our nations’ strategic integration while ensuring interoperability among NATO Allies and partners. The Javelin anti-tank missile systems are part of an on-going cooperative effort involving joint financing from the U.S. Department of State and Estonian national funds,” the US embassy in Tallinn said in a press statement.
According to the embassy, the US has provided Estonia with over USD100 million in joint defence cooperation over the past few years.
Javelin is a fire-and-forget missile with lock-on before launch and automatic self-guidance. The system takes a top-attack flight profile against armoured vehicles (attacking the top armour, which is generally thinner), but can also take a direct-attack mode for use against buildings. This missile also has the ability to engage helicopters in the direct attack mode.
Javelin is in use with the American forces since the 1990s and has been used in Iraq War, as well as in Afghanistan. In addition to the US, Israel, Taiwan, the UK and Australia also use the system.
Cover: Javelin missile being launched (Wikipedia).
