Estonia Receives 128 Raytheon Javelin Anti-tank Missiles

The United States delivered 128 Raytheon Javelin anti-tank missiles to Estonia in February, US Embassy in Tallinn announced Thursday.

“On February 15, the United States delivered 128 anti-tank Raytheon Javelin missiles to the Estonian Ministry of Defense and Estonian Defense Forces as part of a larger contract signed by the Estonian Center for Defense Investment and the US Department of Defense,” the US Embassy said in a statement.

The Javelin anti-tank missile systems are part of an on-going cooperative effort involving joint financing from the US Department of State and Estonian national funds.

The Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) and US European Command continue to work together to achieve joint strategic objectives and guarantee stability in the region, the embassy says. The US has provided Estonia with over US$100 million in joint defense cooperation in recent years, and takes part in over 150 military-to-military engagements between service members of both countries each year.

The FGM-148 Javelin is an American man-portable fire-and-forget anti-tank missile, which uses automatic infrared guidance. Its HEAT warhead is capable of defeating modern tanks by attacking them from above, at a point where their armor is thinnest, and is also useful against fortifications in a direct attack flight.