A U.S. Army M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System is greeted by Estonian children waving and cheering as it rolls down the street during a parade in Rakvere, Estonia, Jan. 16, 2025. Estonia has taken delivery of its first HIMARS launchers, after they were handed over at a Lockheed Martin plant in Arkansas on Jan. 13, and are expected to arrive in the Baltic country in the coming months. (Joseph Novak/U.S. Army)
Estonia’s push to strengthen deterrence against neighboring Russia is getting a boost from a U.S.-made mobile artillery weapon that has drawn widespread interest because of its battlefield performance in Ukraine.
The Baltic country, which has been a NATO member since 2004, received its first High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems earlier this month, according to separate statements Wednesday by Estonia’s Defense Ministry and the U.S. Embassy in Tallinn.
Six HIMARS launchers were officially handed over to Estonian defense officials at the Lockheed Martin production facility in Arkansas on Jan. 13 and will be shipped to Estonia in the coming months, the statements said.
“From this summer, we will gain long-range precision strike capability with HIMARS, which will significantly expand the possibilities for defending Estonia,” Maj. Tanel Tatsi, chief of staff of the Estonian military’s artillery battalion, said in Tallinn’s statement.
The high-profile acquisition underscores Estonia’s commitment to modernizing its defense capabilities as well as NATO’s broader reinforcement efforts, in light of persistent concerns about Russian aggression.
Estonia’s location on the eastern flank of the NATO alliance makes it a potential flashpoint in the event of widening hostilities. The addition of HIMARS significantly upgrades its long-range firepower.
HIMARS has a proven track record in Ukraine, where the rocket launchers have allowed Ukrainian troops to hit Russian command posts and logistics hubs far behind the front lines.
The system’s armored cab holds three operators — a driver, gunner and section chief — and is designed to withstand small-arms fire and artillery fragments.
Estonia signed the agreement to procure six HIMARS launchers in December 2022, in what the defense ministry described as one of the largest arms deals in the country’s history, valued at more than $200 million.
An Estonian flag is draped over a door of the first High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launcher built for the Baltic country at a Lockheed Martin plant in Camden, Ark., Jan. 13, 2025. The writing on the inside of the door marks the occasion. (U.S. Embassy Tallinn via X)
Magnus-Valdemar Saar, director of Estonia’s National Center for Defense Investments, hailed the swift turnaround from contract signing to delivery.
“Developing such a strategic capability in cooperation with our largest ally, the United States, and achieving delivery in just two years is a vivid example of mutual trust and excellent cooperation,” Saar said in a statement Wednesday.
Beyond the core equipment, the contract includes GMLRS precision-guided rockets, communications systems, logistical support and personnel training.
According to defense officials, the package is designed to give Estonia an extended-range precision-strike capability, a critical deterrent in a region where Russian troops are deployed just across the border.
With the new rocket systems, Estonian forces will be able to strike targets out to roughly 40 miles using GMLRS-guided rockets, and up to 180 miles with M57 ATACMS ballistic missiles.
In early 2024, the defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania pledged to cooperate on future HIMARS use, after each country had placed its own orders.
Altogether, the three Baltic states intend to field 20 launchers over the coming years. Lithuania’s first HIMARS are expected to arrive later this year, while Latvia’s are expected to be delivered in 2027.
