IAI to equip Estonian Defense Forces with 'Blue Spear' land-to-sea missile system

Estonia announced that Proteus Advanced Systems, a joint venture of Israel Aerospace Industries and ST Engineering, won the tender to provide defense systems to the nation.

 Blue Spear (5G SSM) (photo credit: ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES)
Blue Spear (5G SSM)
(photo credit: ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES)

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced last week that it has reached an agreement with Estonia to arm the nation's defense forces with the Blue Spear (5G SSM) land-to-sea missile system.

The Estonian Center for Defense Investment (ECDI) announced that Proteus Advanced Systems, a joint venture of Israel Aerospace Industries and ST Engineering Land Systems, won the tender to provide the Estonian Defense Forces with advanced anti-ship missile systems.

The Blue Spear system allows for launching from land-based platforms with flight at high subsonic speed. This project is the most complex in Estonia's defense history, and can operate through all weather conditions, all hours of day and night, and provides the ability to strike targets out of sight at sea. 

WASP system on Heron UAV (credit: IAI)
WASP system on Heron UAV (credit: IAI)

Estonia's Defense Minister, Kalle Laanet, said “This weapon system substantially improves our coastal defense and sends a clear message that we are contributing to the regional and collective defense effort. This is one of the most complex and high-tech weapon systems of all time and a huge leap forward for the Estonian Defense Forces. I am very glad that Estonia has a defense industry capable of participating in such high-tech projects.”

IAI is a world leader in aerospace innovation, delivering state-of-the-art technology in air, navy, land and space, for commercial and defense purposes. ST Engineering is a global engineering group that utilizes technology and innovation in the fields of aerospace and naval defense, in Europe, the Middle East, US and Asia.