Seems like SPIKE will be Estonia’s new anti-tank missile

The Estonian Army will probably buy a EuroSpike long-range anti-tank weapon to replace its aging MAPATS, since no other company has made a bid in the contest. That reports ERR. There is of course the possibility that Estonia finds the missile inconsistent with their demands, or that the parties cannot agree about the terms of an agreement. But by definition EuroSpike must be considered the favorite to win the competition.

It is unknown exactly which EuroSpike missile Estonia might choose. The company produces different missiles that fulfill the Estonian requirement to have a range of at least 4000 meters, namely the SPIKE LR, SPIKE LR2, and SPIKE ER. These missiles cover ranges from 4000 meters to 8000 meters.

The SPIKE missile functions well even without line of sight between the operator and the target. That is handy for a long-range weapon. A nose-mounted camera in the missile transmits images to the operator who can update target information while the missile is in flight. The missile can be man-portable as well as mounted on a vehicle.

Estonia plans to buy 18 complete weapons systems with ammunition, auxiliary equipment, training, and technical support. The cost of the contract is estimated to be in the €40 million range, and there will be an option for a purchase of additional units if Estonia should so desire.

EuroSpike GmbH is a company located in Germany, which facilitates the sale of SPIKE missiles in Europe. However, it is essentially an Israeli weapon system produced by RAFAEL. It is a well tested anti-tank weapon, which is in use in many countries including Germany, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania.

Conceptually, Estonia has two types of anti-tank missiles, namely a larger one with a long range and a smaller one which is more portable. SPIKE is in the “large” category (at least in the versions that Estonia is looking at) and will replace the aging long-range system MAPATS. In the “small” category, Estonia is in the process of replacing the old MILAN system with the American Javelin missile. When both of these missiles are implemented, Estonia will have a truly modern anti-tank capability.