A Spanish air defence unit, equipped with the NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, also known as Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) medium-range air defense system, has arrived to Estonia to contribute to NATO’s efforts to secure the alliance’s eastern flank and protect strategic objects under the command of NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe. The aim of the Spanish air defence unit stationed in Estonia is to contribute to the protection of specific strategic objects using NASAMS capabilities. The unit remains in constant readiness and was deployed to Estonia under the orders of NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe. A similar unit is also stationed in Latvia and these systems are interconnected, forming a unified part of NATO’s eastern flank defence against possible air and missile threats.
“We would like to emphasize the honor that is working with Estonia and the rest of our allies to ensure the security of our NATO territory, specifically the eastern flank. Spain is and will be committed to our allies, and we are proud to be one of the greatest contributors to NATO’s operations and missions,“ said the Battery Commander Captain Carlos Crespo Fernández.
“The presence of the Spanish unit is an important contribution to the airspace security of Estonia and the Baltic region. In addition to enhancing defence readiness, this deployment has provided us with an excellent opportunity to practice cooperation with our allies and other units. It also gives the Estonian Defense Forces and Air Force a valuable experience in the tactical level command and management of medium-range air defense system, and in integrating it into other defence systems,“ said Colonel Fredi Karu, Chief of Staff of the Estonian Air Force.
Spain was the first NATO country to send the NASAMS system along with its operating unit to Estonia in March of last year, the extended operation lasted until the end of 2023. Four fire units NASAMS-2 acquired in 2003. In August 2024, a Spanish air defence unit is deployed to Estonia again with the NASAMS system. On September 11, 2023, near Nuremberg, the Ministers of Defence of Estonia and Latvia signed the contract to purchase medium-range air defence systems IRIS-T SLM from Germany’s Diehl Defence. The entire capability will be delivered to Estonia during 2025-2026.
NASAMS is a distributed and networked short- to medium-range[6]: 4 ground-based air defense system developed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) and Raytheon. The system defends against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), helicopters, cruise missiles, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), and fixed wing aircraft, firing any of a wide range of existing missiles. The NASAMS weapon system mainly uses AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) type missiles with a range of 25 km and at an altitude of 10 km, and there are 6 missiles in the weapon system at the same time. The missile system’s radar can simultaneously monitor 60 different objects within a radius of approximately 75 km.
