TAPA, Estonia — Rockets fired by members of a U.S. Army-led mission in this Baltic country lit up the sky this week on the cusp of Russian territory, a show of strength that heralded more to come.

Test rounds launched Monday from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems of Task Force Voit during a live-fire exercise at a training area near Tapa previewed the added NATO firepower headed to the eastern flank.

Within months, Estonia is expecting the arrival of a half-dozen HIMARS after taking delivery of them in the United States a couple of weeks ago. Meanwhile, a handful of Estonian military personnel watched the display put on by the U.S. contingent.

Task Force Voit was established in Tapa two years ago with the dual mission of deterring aggression and teaching the Estonians how to use HIMARS. That training is now primed to take off in the coming months.

“The message that it sends is that we are here, and we are ready and capable to defend our shared values and interests,” Maj. Adrian Betancourt, the task force’s officer in charge, said of the exercise.

Betancourt added that the Americans are thrilled for the opportunity to show their Estonian counterparts the ropes on a weapons system that has been used to devastating effect against Russian forces in Ukraine.

Estonian personnel likely will be conducting similar drills by the summer and officials are scouting additional areas in the country where they can test the launchers, Betancourt said.

The Estonians’ training so far has consisted of academic modules and some hands-on work, but live-fire drills will begin once the U.S.-made systems are in the country.

Demand for the weapon has taken off as a result of Ukraine’s battlefield successes with HIMARS. The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania took notice.

Over the next two years, the latter two will join Estonia in adding the weapon to their arsenal, marking the start of a long-range artillery evolution in the region. Altogether, the three countries are expected to field 20 of the launchers by 2027.

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.

It can fire different projectiles, including GMLRS-guided rockets that can strike targets out to roughly 40 miles, and M57 ATACMS ballistic missiles that can travel 180 miles.

Sgt. 1st Class Margus Oras, first sergeant of the Estonian military’s HIMARS battery, was among those watching Task Force Voit’s live fire on Monday.

The roughly 100 Estonian reservists who have been training with the Americans will be ready to use the new systems on day one, Oras said.

Most of the U.S. contingent in the drill arrived at the training area on Sunday. The task force is made up mostly of soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, 18th Field Artillery Brigade, based at Fort Liberty, N.C.

For the task force soldiers, the live fire was a chance to maintain their sharpness. They spent the night in their HIMARS vehicles or in tents amid freezing temperatures and didn’t launch the rockets until Monday.

A key part of the training is ensuring that soldiers can operate the launchers in the conditions they’re likely to face.

Cpl. Kadarius Nash, a gunner, said maneuvering the HIMARS through muddy terrain, avoiding getting stuck and dealing with the snow and winter chill of the high northern latitude were the most challenging aspects of the drill.

“The environment is definitely different here, not like any of my experiences in the past,” Nash said.

Observers more than 5 miles from the HIMARS launchers sent coordinates for a target to a temporary control center set up at the training site.

The center processed the data and relayed it to the launcher crews, who then opened fire. The observers reported back whether the target had been hit. All told, they spent several hours engaged in firing.

Analysts say the immediate threat of direct Russian action against any of the Baltic states appears low because of the Kremlin’s focus on the war in Ukraine.

However, regional intelligence services assess that Moscow has developed longer-term plans to reconstitute its forces and redeploy a large military presence in the region, according to the Congressional Research Service.

So it is wise for the Baltics to be investing in HIMARS and other military hardware, said Scott Boston, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corp.

“We will be in an antagonistic relationship with Russia for probably the rest of our lives, and they feel it more than anyone,” Boston said. “This is a very good reason for our allies to be looking ahead.”

Leaders of Task Force Voit said the unit intends to stay and continue training Estonian forces once their HIMARS arrive, with the aim of eventually conducting live fires together.

The fate of the task force’s mission is in the hands of President Donald Trump, who has long badgered NATO allies that don’t meet the bloc’s benchmark of spending at least 2% of gross domestic product on defense.

All three Baltic countries already exceed that target, and Lithuania’s foreign minister said recently that his country intends to increase its defense spending to between 5% and 6% of GDP from next year until 2030.

For the time being, Task Force Voit’s soldiers are availing themselves of the mutual benefits of their interactions with the Estonians in Tapa.

Sgt. Cade England, a gunner who participated in the live fire Monday, said camouflage techniques and winter operations tips were among the lessons shared with the Americans.

“We’re taking ideas and bouncing them off each other so we can move forward in future missions,” England said. “We’re learning so much from each other and we want to continue learning.”

previous coverage

• Baltic ally Estonia hails cooperation with US in acquiring half-dozen HIMARS