TALLINN, Estonia - The Estonian government has made a decision to pause its acquisition of new military vehicles and will instead repurpose the funding for air-defense procurement, Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur announced.
"To move forward with other necessary solutions and extend the service life of existing combat vehicles, this decision had to be made now," Pevkur stated. Estonia had planned to invest EUR500 million in acquiring new CV90 vehicles -- with deliveries slated for 2029-2030 -- but will now focus on upgrading its existing fleet of CV9035 infantry fighting vehicles.
Pevkur explained the decision as a shifting in thinking, based on Estonia's observations of the war in Ukraine.
"The role of heavy equipment on the battlefield is decreasing," the Estonian Defense Minister said. "Hence the advice from the commander of the defense forces that, over a 10-year perspective, it is not reasonable to replace them, but rather to upgrade existing vehicles."
Instead, Estonia will focus its efforts on acquiring new air-defense equipment, especially systems capable of countering drones. He added that Estonia should remain flexible in establishing its future procurement, noting that new technologies such as directed-energy weapons are starting to enter serial production and may be useful for addressing threats like drones.
