Estonia is considering acquiring fighter jets to supplement its ground-based air defense and allow the country to respond independently to some of its air threats. The idea is aimed primarily at countering Russian jet-powered strike drones.
Defense Minister Martin Herem said that such a capability could be built within the next four years. According to him, the decision should be made when adopting the four-year defense development plan, which is expected to be adopted by the end of the year.
„Russia is increasingly using jet drones on a massive scale. Ukraine is shooting them down with F-16 fighters, but it is too expensive for us,” Herem said.Czech aircraft under consideration
The Czech L-39 is mentioned as one of the possible options. Estonia already uses two such aircraft for training, but they do not have weapons to combat drones. Another option is the more modern L-159, whose estimated price is about 10 million euros.
Former commander of the Estonian Air Force Velo Loema believes that a light aircraft could be suitable for certain tasks. According to him, fast fighters have difficulty hitting slow-moving targets, and price is also a significant factor.
Estonia currently does not have its own combat fighters. The country's airspace is protected by aircraft from allied countries as part of NATO's Baltic Air Patrol mission. The Estonian L-39s are training aircraft and are mainly used to train air traffic controllers and joint forward aviation coordinators.
The purchase has not yet been approved
A final decision on the acquisition has not been made. An analysis is underway to determine what type of aircraft are needed, how many aircraft will be purchased, and what the total cost of the project will be.
According to an Estonian military expert, the training of pilots who already have experience with such aircraft could last about a year or less. Training from scratch would take about two years.
Among the options being discussed is the joint purchase of aircraft from the Baltic states. The proposal fits into Estonia's broader plan to build a multi-layered air defense system, including short- and medium-range ground-based systems, radars, and anti-drone means.
Sources: ukrinform.ua, news.err.ee