The Estonian Land Forces have received their first M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS). Six HIMARS launchers were delivered to Estonia’s Ämari Air Base on 30 April 2025 under a USD 200 million contract signed in December 2022.
Speaking at the HIMARS handover ceremony, Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said the development marks a new era for Estonia’s defence capabilities.
“The United States’ key role in financing the procurement and training our defence personnel once again confirms that Estonia and the US enjoy broad-based bilateral defence co-operation, built on unwavering trust and shared goals,” he said.
The US Embassy in Tallinn referred to the acquisition as “one of the most significant capability enhancements in Estonian military history”.
HIMARS, which is a wheeled system that has demonstrated its effectiveness in the Ukraine War, is capable of firing the precision munitions developed for the heavier tracked M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System against threats at ranges of from 15 to more than 400 km, according to Lockheed Martin.
Estonian troops have already undergone relevant training on the system using the US HIMARS units currently deployed to Estonia within a multinational battlegroup in the country that forms part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence to deter Russian belligerence.
Under a co-ordinated acquisition plan Estonia’s Baltic neighbours, Latvia and Lithuania, are also acquiring HIMARS launchers. It is also understood that Estonia might procure additional HIMARS systems.
