Estonia Will Receive A Layered Air Defense System

The country's prime minister revealed the details.

Prime Minister Kristen Mihal, following a meeting with President Alar Karis at a session of the National Defense Council, announced that in the coming years, Estonia’s air defense system will become a layered one, and that the state will invest more than 200 million euros in counter-drone measures. In addition, an air defense brigade will be established within the Defense Forces, according to err.ee.

“In the coming years, Estonia will establish a layered air defense system and maintain a state of constant combat readiness. To detect small drones along the eastern border, a layered drone detection and countermeasures position will be established, with an investment of approximately five million euros,” said Mihal.

“The drone countermeasures and surveillance system, being developed based on Ukraine’s experience, will, according to current plans, cover the eastern border and Estonia’s four largest cities. “This plan includes various projects and budget allocations, under which a total of more than 20 million euros is planned to be invested,” the prime minister added.

According to Michal, the system—designed to meet peacetime objectives—should become operational no later than the end of 2027.

He added that, to develop a layered air defense system, an air defense brigade will be established within the Defense Forces, which will strengthen both medium- and short-range air defense capabilities.

“In the coming years, Estonia will receive the IRIS-T medium-range air defense systems we have procured, as well as additional batches of the Mistral and Piorun short-range air defense systems we already have. In addition to investments in internal security, approximately 364 million euros have been allocated over the next four years as part of defense investments to expand capabilities for countering drones. Of this amount, 214 million euros will be allocated to the procurement and development of drone tracking systems and countermeasures, while the remainder will go toward developing strike capabilities,” said Michal.

The Prime Minister noted that the Defense Forces currently have 12.7-mm machine guns, 23-mm anti-aircraft guns, and Piorun and Mistral anti-aircraft missiles at their disposal for detecting and countering drones.

Principles of Countering Drones in Peacetime

Michał noted that in peacetime, Estonia follows principles when defending its territory against drones that disrupt people’s daily lives and the functioning of society as little as possible.

“Therefore, when repelling drones, it is essential to ensure that the countermeasures used do not cause harm to people when they fall to the ground. Furthermore, in peacetime, to avoid escalation, live-fire weapons are not used near the border in the direction of a neighboring country,” said Michal.

He emphasized that in wartime, different rules apply and different measures are used.

“Part of the defense of Estonian airspace involves constant surveillance of the airspace, the picture of which is part of NATO’s overall air situation picture. In Estonia and Lithuania, our allies’ fighter jets are operating as part of NATO’s airspace security mission. Our airspace is monitored by both the Police and Border Guard Board and the Defense Forces, whose radar images are integrated. “In peacetime, the Defense Forces maintain Air Force radar stations designed to detect aircraft in a state of constant combat readiness,” said Mihal.

The prime minister emphasized that Estonia is not currently facing an immediate military threat and that none of the drones that have entered Estonian territory to date were intended to strike targets in Estonia. “Such drones enter Estonia as an unintended side effect of the aggressive war being waged by Russia and Ukraine’s defensive actions,” he said.

On March 27, the State Chancellery submitted a draft law for review that expands the capabilities for monitoring and countering unmanned aerial vehicles during peacetime. In particular, the bill removes existing obstacles to the protection of national defense facilities or the infrastructure of providers of essential services.

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