Earlier this week, the Estonian government approved a budget strategy that includes allocating €1.6 billion (~$1.79 billion) for the purchase of long-range ammunition by 2031. Acquiring such weapons will be a priority for Estonia, with up to a quarter of Estonia’s defense budget will be dedicated to this effort in the coming years, said Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, adding that "we still need more stocks of ammunition, among other things, to affect the adversary in its own territory."
The minister noted that Estonia's defense department has already signed ammunition contracts worth €1.9 billion and will soon announce additional tenders to further bolster its stockpiles, according to the Ministry of Defense's press release.
Compared to other NATO countries, Estonia is second only to Poland in exceeding NATO’s defense spending requirements, currently investing at least 3.3% of its GDP in national defense. However, the absolute figures remain modest; for example, this year’s defense budget totals €1.43 billion.
Despite the relatively small budget, Estonia strives to allocate funds efficiently to address modern threats. In 2022, the country ordered HIMARS mobile rocket systems — six vehicles along with 36 GMLRS rocket pods (each containing six rockets), 72 extended-range GMLRS pods, and 18 ATACMS missiles. Estonia also plans to acquire the latest PrSM missile, which can strike targets over 500 km away. The first HIMARS units are expected to be delivered in 2025.
To further strengthen its artillery capabilities, Estonia is purchasing 12 Caesar self-propelled howitzers as part of creating its 3rd Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion. This acquisition takes into account the need for interoperability with neighboring Lithuania, who had purchased 18 Caesar howitzers recently, too. Estonia also expanded its purchase agreement on the K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers by 12 additional units, bringing the total order to 36.
Additionally, last year Estonia procured over 200 armored personnel carriers, including Arma 6x6 from Turkiye’s Otokar and NMS 4x4 from Nurol Makina, aimed at enhancing the mobility of its 2nd Infantry Brigade.
Estonia is also focused on expanding its unmanned systems, opting for cost-effective loitering munitions and FPV drones over more expensive assets like helicopters. For anti-tank defense, the country has purchased Javelin and Spike LR man-portable guided missiles.
In the realm of air defense, Estonia acquired Polish Piorun MANPADS and is collaborating with Latvia to procure the German IRIS-T Surface-Launched Medium-range (SLM) air defense system. This represents only a fraction of Estonia’s defense acquisitions in recent years.
In addition to equipping its own military, Estonia is investing in infrastructure to support NATO’s collective defense. The Ministry of Defense also reaffirmed Estonia’s commitment to allocate 0.25% of its GDP as military aid to Ukraine.
