IRIA News

Estonia’s Defense Ministry announced initial deliveries of the Blue Spear anti-ship missile. The missile system has been developed by Proteus Advanced Systems, a joint venture of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and ST Engineering Land Systems from Singapore.

According to the defense procurement agency of Estonia, the sea-skimming missile system would become an integral part of the country’s extensive coastal defense solution.

“The presence of Blue Spears in the Navy significantly increases the firing range of the Estonian Defense Forces and strengthens deterrence against a potential aggressor,” Estonian Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur said as he announced the arrival of the missile system.

Estonia’s National Defense Chief General Martin Herem said that the induction of the 5th-generation missile system into the country’s coastal defense would play a significant role in deterring Russia’s possible attack in the region.

“Russia has to take into account that if it attacks Estonia, Estonia can put the aggressor in peril with the same threat the aggressor poses to others, that is, jeopardize its connections,” he said during a press briefing.

Estonian national defense chief highlighted “We can fire along the coastline, but also from inland. Essentially, we can launch a missile from Matsalu that goes around Hiiumaa and reaches the open sea to hit a ship there. The dispersion of launch vehicles and the trajectory of the missile make it very difficult for an adversary to intercept.”

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Estonia rapidly ramped up its defense spending and initiated the procurement process for the 5th-generation missile system.

A Blue Spear Missile can be launched from either land or a ship, regardless of weather conditions. The missile’s range can cover the entirety of the Baltic Sea. Estonia was the first country to place an order to buy the system.

Herem emphasized that Estonia’s anti-ship capability must be viewed in conjunction with that of the allies Finland, Poland, Latvia, and soon-to-be NATO member Sweden. All these nations have anti-ship capabilities, except for Latvia, which has taken steps to acquire anti-ship missiles in the next few years.

“We need to divide among these countries the most dangerous vessels of the Russian Baltic Sea Fleet that qualify as targets. In that case, we have enough launchers and ammunition to pose a very serious question to the Russian Federation about whether it wants to take any military action against us. Because the Baltic Sea Fleet will be quite exposed,” Herem pointed out.

Missile features

Blue Spear has been based on IAI’s Gabriel V anti-ship missile. It provides day-and-night, all-weather functionality, with a range of 290 kilometers (180 miles). The missile incorporates programmable and automation modes, including fire-and-update capability along with fire-and-forget, an active radar homing seeker, and an advanced weapons control system for accurate target detection and engagement.

Each unit of a Blue Spear long-range anti-ship missile costs around $5 million. So far, it is unclear how many missiles have been delivered to Estonia.

Estonia’s military spending

According to the Estonian Defense Ministry, the government plans to spend almost $14.5 billion over the course of the next ten years for its military modernization program. The ministry said that the figure has been revised and derived after the threat assessment of Estonia’s wider environs, the Baltic Sea region.

Over the course of the next two years, the Estonian military is also set to acquire additional anti-tank capabilities. This includes the Spike missile, in the short-range version for its brigades, and the long-range model for its territorial defense. The Spike missile is also made by Israel’s Rafael and sold in Europe by Eurospike GmbH, whose shareholders are Diehl Defense, Rheinmetall Electronics, and Rafael-owned ERCAS BV.