Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) unit ST Engineering Land Systems Ltd. (ST) has signed a contract with the Estonian Centre for Defence Investment (ECDI) to equip the Estonian Defence Forces with Blue Spear (5G SSM) missile systems. The contract is worth NIS 150 million but estimates are that it will expand to include auxiliary products.
The missiles will develop Estonia's coastal defence capabilities by arming the defence forces with the Blue Spear (5G SSM) land-to-sea missile system. With tight deadlines, the project encompasses a complex set of requirements, and is one of the biggest projects in Estonian defence procurement and definitely the most complex.
Estonian Minister of Defence Kalle Laanet said, "This weapon system substantially improves our coastal defence and sends a clear message that we are contributing to the regional and collective defence effort. This is one of the most complex and high-tech weapon systems of all time and a huge leap forward for the Estonian Defence Forces. I am very glad that Estonia has a defence industry capable of participating in such high-tech projects."
The Blue Spear missile system is an advanced precision weapon which can operate at all weather conditions, day and night and enables strike capabilities beyond the line of sight, against mobile and stationary targets at sea. The missile’s maximum range is 290 kilometers. Blue Spear missiles shares a heritage with IAI’s Gabriel missile family system which has been developed over many years.
The Blue Spear system enables launching from several land-based platforms with flight at high sub-sonic speed. The warhead employs an active radar-homing seeker, accurate INS-based navigation capabilities and a robust system which is immune to GPS disruptions and maximal accuracy target acquisition. The systems are equipped with a variety of deception means to achieve its mission and cope with the different battle-field challenges.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 6, 2021
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