Estonia has expressed its intent to proceed with acquiring six additional M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) from the US, with an option for more.
The country’s Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur informed Breaking Defense that the second tranche, with a potential delivery schedule of 2028 to 2029, is awaiting approval from the US Department of Defense.
Tallinn’s decision to continue with an additional HIMARS order comes despite ongoing uncertainty over Washington’s delivery timelines — a concern that has pushed the Baltic state to diversify suppliers to maintain readiness.
In October, Estonia signed a deal to acquire the K239 Chunmoo multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) to supplement the first six US-supplied HIMARS launchers ordered in 2022 and formally received in January 2025.
High demand, driven in part by the HIMARS’ performance in Ukraine, has stretched global delivery timelines, even as Lockheed Martin increased annual production capacity from 60 to 96 launchers in 2024.
More Deep Strike Options
As the war between Ukraine and Russia — which borders Estonia to the east — continues, Tallinn is seeking more options to reinforce its defense capabilities, approving plans to raise defense spending to “at least” five percent of GDP by 2026.
Pevkur said that apart from the HIMARS and the Chunmoo, the country’s armed forces are also eyeing the acquisition of cruise missiles, loitering munitions, and other weapon systems that “will give us more reach, because we don’t have the strategic depth.”
In early 2025, the nation announced plans to procure a long-range air-defense system and opened its first military aerial drone training facility as part of its military modernization efforts.
Moreover, the military set up a new command focused on testing advanced defense solutions in October.
