Estonia orders Israeli mortars
Spear Mk II 120mm mortar system. (Photo: Elbit Systems)
Elbit is providing 120mm mortar systems plus lifecycle support for Estonia.
The Estonian National Defense Investment Centre has ordered 120mm mortars from sole bidder Elbit Systems of Israel, under a framework agreement worth up to €15 million ($17.27 million).
The contract was awarded on 30 September but it was formally announced on the EU contracts database on 10 November.
As well as an undisclosed number of 120mm mortar systems, Elbit will also provide lifecycle support for the Estonian Army.
Elbit produces two types of crew-served towable 120mm mortar, either of which can be operated with a light handheld fire-control system.
Shephard reported in late October that the 2022 Estonian defence budget allocates funding to procure 4x4 vehicles. A potential candidate is the Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, which can function as a self-propelled mortar carrier when fitted with the Elbit Spear 120mm crew-served system.
Elbit also produces the 120mm Cardom autonomous self-propelled recoiling mortar with auto-laying capabilities.
More from Land Warfare
-
![Estonian Army receives first 50 of 230 light armoured vehicles]()
Estonian Army receives first 50 of 230 light armoured vehicles
The armoured vehicles are fitted with 12.7mm heavy machine guns and came off the production line with specific Estonian requirements. Only the communications subsystems and some other minor equipment were added to vehicles in Estonia.
-
![Thales to supply 500 of its new Vehicle Mounted SquadNet Radios to a NATO country]()
Thales to supply 500 of its new Vehicle Mounted SquadNet Radios to a NATO country
The newly disclosed Thales UK Vehicle Mounted SquadNet Radio (VMSR) offers full interoperability with the soldier radio variant to provide secure and reliable voice connection.
-
![Modern militaries crawl towards electrification of the battlefield]()
Modern militaries crawl towards electrification of the battlefield
Full electrification of their land and air vehicles may be beyond modern militaries for now. But how close are they to the tipping point of the widespread use of electric vehicles?
-
![Pearson Engineering to supply mine ploughs and dozer blades for Polish Abrams tanks]()
Pearson Engineering to supply mine ploughs and dozer blades for Polish Abrams tanks
The contract follows news released in 2023 that a first customer had taken into service Pearson Engineering’s new Slice system enabling the interoperability of Front-End Equipment (FEE) between main battle tanks and dedicated engineering vehicles.
-
![Aselsan successfully tests Gökberk system against FPV drones]()
Aselsan successfully tests Gökberk system against FPV drones
The system had been previously proven to work against rotary and fixed-wing kamikaze drones, with Aselsan now working on new capabilities for Gökberk to counter UAV swarms.
