Estonia and IAI sign one of the largest procurement deals in the country's history
The Mini-Harpy is a multi-purpose loitering munition manufactured by Isreal Aerospace Industries. (Photo: IAI)
Isreal Aerospace Industries (IAI) has announced that Estonia has contracted it to provide loitering munitions in one of the most expensive defence procurement the Baltic nation has ever made.
On 2 May 2023, IAI announced that it had signed a deal with Estonia for the procurement of "advanced long-range loitering munitions", which was one of the "most expensive defence procurement Estonia has ever made".
According to the announcement, the award came after a market research project which began in the spring of 2022, and deliveries are due to conclude in 2024.
The contract value or drone selected was not mentioned in the announcement. However, on the same day, Estonian Defence Minister, Hanno Pevkur, tweeted that the contract was worth nine figures and posed alongside IAI's Mini Harpy.
Based on this information and the estimated unit cost of the loitering munition, Shephard's Defence Insight estimates that Estonia has acquired 985 units of the platform in a €100 million ($113.04 million) contract.
The contract announcement comes slightly later than anticipated. In February 2023, Hanno Pevkur said the country was set to procure loitering munitions to enhance its indirect fire capabilities in Q1 of 2023. At that time, EER, Estomia's public broadcaster, reported that the decision was made in light of Russia's aggression.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![M-345 officially enters service as trainer for Italian Air Force]()
M-345 officially enters service as trainer for Italian Air Force
The Leonardo M-345 High-Efficiency Trainer (HET) basic/advanced trainer is similar to the M-346, which is the second part of the Italian Air Force’s training system, but is a substantially smaller and less powerful aircraft.
-
![Belgium’s F-35A order progresses at it awaits first jet delivery by late 2025]()
Belgium’s F-35A order progresses at it awaits first jet delivery by late 2025
The first aircraft delivery timeline confirmation comes as Belgium weighs up an additional F-3A buy from Lockheed Martin.
-
![Enhancing education: How CAE is embracing new technology to boost military training]()
Enhancing education: How CAE is embracing new technology to boost military training
In Conversation... Shephard's Gerrard Cowan talks to CAE's Marc-Olivier Sabourin about how the training and simulation industry can help militaries achieve essential levels of readiness by leveraging new technology, innovative procurement methods and a truly collaborative approach.
