Estonia and Latvia plan to jointly acquire German air defense systems to protect the airspace of two NATO member countries.
The agreement, announced by the defense ministers of both countries, will be the largest defense cooperation agreement between the neighboring Baltic states bordering Russia.
According to a preliminary agreement, deliveries of IRIS-T SLM medium-range air defense systems manufactured by the German company Diehl Defense could begin next year, and the systems themselves could be put into service in 2025.
The scope of the deal and details on the number of systems were not disclosed as negotiations with the supplier continue, defense ministers from both countries said.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur called the deal “a joint project of historic proportions in the interest of our most important defense cooperation to date” between Tallinn and Riga.
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