On December 3, the Estonian Ministry of Defense announced the signing of an intergovernmental agreement with the United States on the procurement of six launchers for the M142 HIMARS artillery rocket system.
According to the communiqué of the Estonian authorities, the contract is worth over EUR 200 million and will be financed mostly from an American grant worth USD 140.5 million. The weapons are to be delivered within two years, and the training will be provided by military personnel of the U.S. Army. The use of the FMS procedure means that the United States government acts as an intermediary in the transaction – according to the documentation of the State Department, the package, apart from six launchers, may also include 36 M30A2 GMLRS rocket packages, 36 M31A2 GMLRS rocket packages, 36 XM403 ER GMLRS packages, 36 XM404 ER GMLRS packages and up to 18 M57 ATACMS rounds. In addition, the contract may cover an indefinite number of packages with the M28A2 LCRRPR training and training ammunition, a set of spare parts and a logistics and training package.
So far, the M142 HIMARS launchers manufactured by the Lockheed Martin corporation have been purchased in the region by Romania and Poland. Additionally, 38 have been delivered or will be delivered to Ukraine from the resources of the United States Department of Defense. In the coming weeks, an intergovernmental contract for the delivery of the launcher to Lithuania can also be expected. Latvia is also interested in them.