Estonia and Latvia plan to jointly acquire German air defence systems for the protection of the two NATO nations’ airspace in what would be the biggest defence cooperation deal between the Baltic neighbours that border Russia.
The more comes after Putin’s description of the Baltic as ‘ours,’ Poland as ‘occupied territory’ and China’s ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, stating that former Soviet countries don’t have ‘effective status in international law.’
The medium-range IRIS-T SLM air defence system, manufactured by weapons maker Diehl Defence of Germany, could begin in 2025. The value of the deal and detailed information about the numbers of the system weren’t disclosed as talks with the supplier are still ongoing. The German air defence system, consisting of truck-mounted launchers, missiles and a separate command vehicle, is designed to protect cities, armies and civilian population from air attacks and being effective at neutralising planes and helicopters. It can be used for protection from a host of other threats, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles and loitering munitions. Germany has delivered IRIS-T air defence systems to Ukraine, where they have been successfully used against Russian targets since late last year during Moscow’s war on Kyiv.
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