“The project, with tight timescales and encompassing a complex set of requirements, is one of the biggest in Estonian defense procurement and definitely the most complex,” it added. “Hand-in-hand with the new capability development in the maritime domain, the contract provides opportunities for the Estonian defense industry.”

Commander of the Estonian naval forces Jüri Saska said “the chosen weapon system will form the cornerstone of Estonian naval defense for decades to come. Estonian Navy will be able to contribute significantly both to national, regional and collective defense effort.”

Ron Tryfus, general manager of Proteus Advanced Systems, added that “this is a very advanced, operational proven system, leading the sea battlefield by its capabilities and based on IAI’s many years of experience in the field of missiles, particularly with the Gabriel missile family.”

He added that the Blue Spear system, being the advanced member of Gabriel heritage, “will serve as the next generation of surface-to-surface missile systems.”