VIDEO ⟩ Massive Ukrainian Transport Plane Delivers HIMARS to Estonia

“It wasn’t anything complicated. They came from the United States to Estonia, and the fact that NATO countries have used the Antonov An-124 aircraft for logistics isn’t anything unusual,” Magnus-Valdemar Saar, head of the Estonian Center for Defense Investments, told Estonian daily Postimees after the event.

“It’s economically practical and technically very capable—one of the largest transport aircraft in regular use. Of course, even larger was the Mriya, or Antonov An-225, which was stationed at Hostomel airfield and destroyed at the start of the war. But using the An-124 is quite common. When I served in Afghanistan, our operations were heavily supported by the same aircraft.”

Although the first HIMARS units are now in Estonia, there remains a question of how to fulfill the rest of Estonia’s indirect fire capability needs. While it would make more economic sense to procure more HIMARS, long delivery times may force Estonia to look at alternatives. Several defense experts have already suggested that it might be time to start exploring other options. However, for now, Saar says they are still awaiting a response from the Americans.

“When considering whether to procure alternatives, it becomes something of a standard optimization issue. Generally, introducing multiple different systems creates extra burdens for training, logistics, lifecycle management, and personnel. Economically speaking, it makes more sense to buy a larger quantity of a single system rather than several smaller systems. But ultimately, if delivery times are too long, we have to make decisions to ensure the equipment arrives when we need it,” said Saar.

In cooperation with the U.S. Task Force "Victory," the Estonian Defense Forces have conducted preliminary training for the rocket artillery battery personnel, and the first live-fire exercises will begin this summer.

The mobile and battle-tested HIMARS offers modern capabilities, including precision-guided weapons that support integrated fire missions, accurately hitting point or area targets at distances exceeding 300 kilometers. Due to its excellent compatibility with NATO and allied systems, HIMARS can be easily integrated and rapidly deployed when needed.

The procurement of six HIMARS systems is one of Estonia's largest weapons acquisitions, with the Estonian Center for Defense Investments (ECDI) signing a contract with the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) in December 2022. "Under this agreement, we're also acquiring ammunition, communication solutions, training, logistics, and lifecycle management solutions. The package includes rockets with various firing ranges," said Ramil Lipp, head of the Armament Category at ECDI.

U.S. funding for the HIMARS systems is part of a broader security assistance package aimed at enhancing NATO’s eastern flank defense capabilities. Overall U.S. security assistance to Estonia for various defense projects tripled from 2022 to 2024 compared to the previous three-year period (2019–2021), rising from approximately $122 million to $430 million. This assistance has been utilized, for example, to replenish stocks of large-caliber ammunition, improve communication capabilities, strengthen air surveillance, and develop night combat capabilities.