Armée Estonienne/Estonian Army

insigne de l'armée estonienne:

Estonian Air Force
Cocarde:

Robinson R44: 4
L-39 Czechoslovakia: 2

l-39:

Robinson R44:

Estonian Navy:

Admiral Pitka:

Admiral Cowan:

Tasuja:

Citation :

Estonia to Acquire Medium Range Radar Systems
Today, Estonia concluded a procurement contract, together with the Finnish Ministry of Defence and the French company Thales-Raytheon Systems, for the procurement of two 3D medium range radar systems, which will cover Estonia and its surrounding airspace with a single radar image.
Estonia and Finland will together procure a total of 14 radar systems of the Ground Master 403 series. The two radar systems intended for Estonia are meant to supplement Estonia’s current sole 3D medium range radar in Kellavere, in West-Viru County, and to also provide a sufficient air surveillance image for Western and South-eastern Estonia.
The formidable air surveillance image created thanks to the procurement will increase early warning time in case of possible crisis situations, and is also the prerequisite for the operation of air policing fighter craft and air defence missile systems, the procurement of which is planned for the future. Also, as a member of NATO, Estonia is required to provide elementary radar coverage on its territory and to some extent also outside of the Alliance’s external border.
Minister of defence Jaak Aaviksoo expressed hope that the joint procurement with Finland creates good premise for future joint procurements. “Several priorities of the Estonian National defence development plan for 2009-2018 – air surveillance and defence, communications and command systems, rapid response capability – overlap with the long-term planning directions of Finnish national defence,” noted Aaviksoo.
According to Finland’s Minister of Defence, Jyri Häkämies, the joint radar procurement with Estonia benefits both parties. “Combining our procurements is very economical financially. And the cooperation, in terms of procurements and equipment, also strengthens the relations between Estonia’s and Finland’s national defence structures,” said Minister of Defence Häkämies.
For Estonia, the procurement totals MEEK 350, to be paid based on a flexible schedule for payments during the period 2009-2014. Since Finland and Estonia have procured a total of 14 radar systems, the producer can, thanks to production efficiency, offer the systems at very reasonable prices – technically Estonia gets two radar systems for the price of one thanks to the joint procurement with Finland.
The Thales-Raytheon Systems Ground Master 403 radar systems are capable of detecting aircraft at a range of up to 470 km and at an altitude of up to 30 km. These are mobile systems, meaning that when necessary the radar can be relocated from its permanent position and set up elsewhere within an hour.
In addition to two primary radar systems, the procurement includes secondary radar systems, generators for the radar systems, containers, vehicles, training and radomes (domes to cover the radar systems when they are in their stationary positions).
According to the procurement contract, Thales-Raytheon Systems has the obligation to make offset purchases with a procurement contract of similar scope from Estonian enterprises. Preferable for the offset purchases would be areas such as research and development, strategic goods and high-tech goods. This way, the radar procurement also provides support for the development of innovative and high-tech industries in Estonia. The spectrum of the offset purchases reaches from the export of products and services, research and development, investments and technology transfers to corresponding marketing support.
The Estonian and Finnish Ministries of Defence concluded a Memorandum of Understanding in October 2007, for carrying out the joint radar procurement. According to the memorandum, the Finnish Air Force, with the participation of the Estonian Ministry of Defence and experts of the Defence Forces, prepared an invitation for tender to determine the most suitable radar system.
One of the priorities of the National defence development plan for 2009-2018, which was approved by the government in January 2009, is the further development of the reconnaissance, surveillance and early warning systems of the Estonian Defence Forces. The procurement for the air surveillance radar systems is the first of the larger procurements planned in the recently approved development plan.

Source:defencetalk.com

Citation :

Estonian MoD Outlines Increasing Complexity of Baltic Air Policing Exercises
11:40 GMT, September 16, 2009 While visiting F-15 fighter aircraft at the Tallinn Airport ysterday, Riho Terras, Permanent Undersecretary of the Estonian Ministry of Defence (MoD), said that the air policing training events of the Baltic States were increasing in scale and complexity every time.

The Permanent Undersecretary of the MoD examined the F-15 Strike Eagle fighters from the United States, which had taken off from Great Britain, and met with their pilots, who before yesterday conducted a cooperation exercise in Lääne-Viru County with the next Estonian infantry company headed for Afghanistan.

According to Terras, yet another air policing training event is confirmation that NATO territory is one whole and its defence the joint solidary task of the allies. “Regular air policing training events like this, and the knowledge that NATO has decided that the air policing mission in the Baltic States would remain operational through at least 2014, significantly increase security in NATO air space as a whole,” Terras said.

According to the Permanent Undersecretary, the events, including successive new training elements, also signal the constantly growing competence of the Estonian Air Force and its improving cooperation with allied forces. “The Forward Air Controllers, who practiced with US fighters in West-Viru County today, will increase the security and safety of our Afghanistan contingent. Also, the roll-out of this capability will be important for strengthening Estonia’s primary independent defence capability,” Terras affirmed.

On Monday and Tuesday, F-15E fighters from the United States Air Force will conduct, as part of the 4th Air Policing Training Event in Baltic air space, a cooperation exercise over Estonia with the next company of the Scouts Battalion headed for Afghanistan and the Forward Air Controllers of the Estonian Air Force.

In the course of the exercise, the Forward Air Controllers will practice for the first time, in cooperation with the NATO fighters, the coordination of fire support during a infantry operations. The cooperation exercise with the fighters will be conducted as part of the BAM-7 exercise of the Scouts Battalion in West-Viru County. The exercise will be part of the training for a new capability of the Air Force, the Forward Air Controllers.

The second part of the 4th Air Policing Training Event in Baltic air space will be conducted next week, with a focus on the development of air surveillance and air defence capabilities.

Baltic air policing training events have been conducted since October 2008. The last defence exercise in Baltic air space was conducted in July 2009. In the course of the exercise, NATO air force units practiced the delivery of international aid packages to an unknown region and the securing of air space control under the conditions of electronic countermeasures.
defpro.com

Citation :

Estonia and the Netherlands Sign Contract for 81 Sisu XW-188 Armoured Vehicles

Department of Defense Deputy Undersecretary for Defence Investment Marran Mikk and Dutch Defence Procurement Agency Director Lex Hendrichsi today signed a contract for the Netherlands to supply a total of 81 armored transport vehicles to Estonia by 2015.

The first batch of new armored vehicles transferred to the Estonian troops in Afghanistan will be operational in the coming months.

The Sisu XA-188 wheeled armoured vehicles being acquired are broadly similar to the Sisu XA-180ESTs that Estonia bought in 2004. Sixty of these armored vehicles were procured from Finland, and this will facilitates the introduction of new armored vehicles, in terms of maintenance and repairs.

However, the new XA-188 vehicles are vastly improved, and provide better protection for soldiers against small arms, mines and improvised explosive devices.

These armored vehicles were manufactured in Finland during the years 1998-1999, and they will undergo maintenance and repair in the Netherlands before delivery.

The contractual acquisition price is 320 million Estonian kroons, which will be paid in accordance with deliveries between 2011 and 2015.

The procurement of these armoured vehicles completes one of the objectives of the Defence Development Plan 2009-2018, namely increasing the number of armoured vehicles of the 1st Brigade.

defpro

Les nouveaux XA-188

Citation :

Estonian Navy signs new support contract with Thales

Thales has signed a contract with the Estonian Navy to provide an additional 12 months of technical support and maintenance to two former Royal Navy (RN) mine countermeasures vessels (MCMVs) now serving with the Estonian fleet.

The contract was signed by the Chief of the Estonian Navy, Captain Igor Schvede, at the Estonian Navy Headquarters at Tallinn. During the meeting, discussions were also initiated on how Thales could help the Estonian Navy achieve their ambition of creating an indigenous sonar support capability in future years.

The two former RN Sandown-class vessels – HMS Sandown and HMS Inverness – were decommissioned and sold to Estonia in 2006. The vessels were re-named ENS Admiral Cowan and ENS Sakala.

As part of a programme to return the two ships to operational service, Thales originally signed a contract in 2006 to provide operational support to the ships in service and upgrades to Thales’s highly successful Sonar 2093 system. This new contract now extends the support programme until December 2011.

Sonar 2093 is a variable-depth sonar system and is designed for the detection and classification of bottom and moored mines. It is optimised for littoral (coastal) and open-ocean waters and is effective against all known mine types.

The system is in service with the RN’s remaining Sandown-class MCMVs, and existing export contracts include Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Italy and the Republic of Korea.

Phil Naybour, head of Thales UK’s naval business, says: “We greatly value our relationship with the Estonian Navy and see this new contract as a key to providing their ships with the best and most cost-effective support that will enable them to meet their important national and NATO commitments

defpro

Citation :

L'Estonie crée sa cyber-armée







Inquiète après le cyber-assaut sur ses institutions en 2007, l'Estonie a formé une unité de volontaires d'une cyber-armée, la Küberkaitseliit (Ligue de Cyber-défense, KKL), pour protéger le pays contre ce type de menaces à l'avenir, rapporte le quotidien polonais Rzcezpospolita.

Première cyber-armée volontaire dans le
monde, la KKL fait partie de la Ligue paramilitaire pour la défense
totale de l'Estonie et sera placée sous commandement militaire en cas de
guerre. Elle est constituée de 80 spécialistes et ingénieurs
informatiques, qui se réunissent une fois par semaine pour s'exercer
contre des attaques pirates simulées.
Leader dans le domaine de l'accès à Internet, l'Estonie "a
été le premier pays du monde à proposer le vote par Internet à
l'occasion des élections législatives. Voilà pourquoi une cyber attaque
supplémentaire pourrait paralyser tout le pays", a expliqué au quotidien Vahur Made, de l'Académie de la diplomatie estonienne.

COURRIER INTERNATIONAL

Citation :

SOURCE:Air Transport Intelligence newsEstonian looks for larger turboprops to replace Saabs
By David Kaminski-Morrow

Estonian Air is looking for larger turboprop aircraft after opting to return its Saab 340s to their lessors.

It says it is assessing the options for a new aircraft type and "taking steps" to implement it into its network.

"The change is related to the strategic goal of Estonian Air to offer its customers faster and more frequent air links between Estonia and various European cities," says the carrier.

Estonian Air has two Saab 340s but says, from April, it will operate with a single aircraft as it proceeds with the withdrawal.

This means it will also axe its services from the capital Tallinn to the cities of Minsk and Vilnius.

The carrier says this reduction of its network, from the beginning of the summer season, is "in order to have the transition to the new aircraft type more smooth and cost-effective".

Estonian has not indicated which turboprops it is considering introducing in place of the Saabs.

Tirs de Milan

l'armée estonnienne est une armée très jeunes, et peu équipée coté armement lourd, ses seules véhicules combat en service sont quelques Patria Pasi, ex-finlandaise, ou hollandaise ... quelques piéces d'artillerie dont une trentaine de FH70 qu'on peut voir quelques unes dans cette video :


par contre, les unités d'infanteries sont relativemment bien équipées !

Citation :

Estonian Defence Force Soldiers taking part in the KEVADTORM 2011 series of Military exercises being held in Estonia – 18th May 2011

Des élements des FS estoniennes en exercice de lutte anti-piraterie ... effectué à bord du EML Sakala ( M314 ) ( CM classe Sandown )

Live fire exercice avec des FH70

l'armée estonienne et le misssile milan

EML Sakala ( M314 )

Citation :

Estonian army takes delivery of SISU 8x8 military trucks for radar Ground Master 403.

Sisu Defence Oy has announced that it has delivered the first armoured SISU 8x8 military truck for Estonian Forces, with the Estonian Air Force receiving the vehicle in the beginning of November. The vehicle will serve as radar carrier vehicles for the Ground Master air surveillance system being supplied by Thales-Raytheon Systems to the Estonian Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Monday, November 12, 2012, 03:25 AM
http://www.armyrecognition.com/november_2012_new_army_military_defence_industry/index.php

Citation :

New Development Plan Increases Military Capability of Defence Forces


(Source: Estonian Ministry of Defence; issued Jan. 24, 2013)



The Cabinet approved the National Defence development plan for the period 2013-2022 in a move that will increase the military capability and firepower of the Estonian Defence Forces.

Minister of Defence Urmas Reinsalu said the new development plan is realistic and will ensure that Estonia has, independently, initial self-defence capability. “The basis for Estonia’s capability to defend itself remains the large reserve forces, which is formed of the men and women who have completed compulsory military service,” said Reinsalu.

The commander in chief of the Defence Forces, Brigadier General Riho Terras, said the new development plan will increase the actual capability of the Defence Forces and will reduce bureaucracy. “Our aim is Defence Forces with a faster reaction time and greater firepower,” said Terras.

The new development plan will increase the Defence Forces’ rapid response structure to 21,000 people; they will be the first in line to be issued weapons and equipment and their reaction time will also be a primary consideration.

In the army, two fully manned, armed and equipped infantry brigades will be developed, each with rapid response capability. The 1st infantry brigade will be equipped with combat vehicles, armoured transport vehicles and self-propelled artillery.

Also under the new development plan, the anti-tank defence capability of the entire Defence Forces will be developed and, with regard to weapons, third-generation anti-tank missile batteries will be introduced.

The Defence League will assume the central role in territorial defence. The numbers of the Defence League personnel will grow from the current 22,250 to 30,000 over the ten years.

The command structure of the Defence Forces will become more efficient under the new development plan, with the Army staff merged with the Defence Forces general staff and the one staff each in the Air Force and Navy.

By the end of 2014, all conscripts will be provided with fully modern living conditions, for which purpose new barracks will be built in Tapa, Jõhvi, Võru and Ämari. A central Defence Forces artillery range, regional exercise fields and Defence League firing ranges will be developed.

The number of active-duty personnel in the Defence Forces will increase over ten years from the current 3,100 to 3,600. The pre-recession wage level will be reinstated in the Defence Forces in the course of 2013.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/142014/estonia-approves-military-modernization-plan.html

Citation :

Estonia Retires Last Soviet-Era Radars
TALLINN, March 7 (RIA Novosti) - Estonia’s Air Defense Forces have dismantled their last obsolete Soviet-made radars, the General Staff of the country’s armed forces said on Thursday.

One P-37 type radar will be installed as a monument at the Amari military base, while another will be sent to an aviation museum.

At present, two radar stations monitor Estonia’s airspace - a TPS-77 at Kallavere, in western Estonia and an ASR-8 at Amari, not far from Tallinn.

In late March, a new radar station will be opened on Muhu Island featuring a medium-range Ground Master 430 3D air-defense radar with an effective range of up to 470 kilometers (295 miles) and an altitude of up to 30 kilometers (100,000 feet).

Another post-Soviet republic, Belarus, said in mid-February it would replace a Russian radar station with an indigenous one and dispose of its Russian-made Sukhoi Su-27 fighters.

Citation :

AED: les pays Baltes achèteront pour 50 M EUR de munitions

TALLIN, 26 mai - RIA Novosti

L'Estonie, la Lettonie et la Lituanie ont annoncé, lors d'une réunion de l'Agence européenne de Défense (AED) à Bruxelles, leur volonté commune d'organiser un appel d'offres afin d'acheter des munitions à hauteur de 50 millions d'euros, annonce mardi le service de presse du ministère estonien de la Défense.

Selon ce dernier, il s'agit d'acheter des munitions pour les lance-roquettes antichar Karl Gustav. L'Estonie veut acquérir des munitions tant pour les exercices militaires que pour se reconstituer un stock en cas de guerre.

Le vice-chancelier du ministère estonien de la Défense Ingvar Pärnamäe a affirmé que pour les pays Baltes, il s'agissait du premier achat de munitions par l'intermédiaire de l'Agence européenne de défense. Il a ajouté que l'Agence se chargeait d'organiser l'appel d'offres et qu'il ne resterait aux pays Baltes qu'à choisir la meilleure proposition.


http://fr.rian.ru/defense/20130312/197773309.html