Estonia tests competing sniper rifles ahead of tender award
The Estonian Centre for Defence Investment (ECDI) has announced a tender for procurement of sniper weapons for the Estonian Defence Forces and the Defence League, with test firings carried out on 7 March to assess the technical suitability of the weapons.
The test firing will determine accuracy and reliability of the weapon, optical sight and other accessories.
The weapons being tested are from Sako, Haenel, Unique Alpine and Desert Tech and include accessories selected by the tenderers and fitted on the weapons.
Related Articles
Seven contenders for Estonian medium-range air defence requirement
Ukraine conflict prompts precision strike and artillery shift in the Baltics
Japan selects new sniper rifles and machine guns
Each bidder has assembled a proposed system with freely selected accessories and equipment in compliance with the requirements of the ECDI.
Major Risto Pärtel, chief weapons officer of the Estonian Defence Forces, said: 'Using the new rifles, it [sniper missions] can be done at any time of the day, as the weapons are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment like silencers and thermal weapon sights. In addition to high accuracy, the weapons must also be robust and as compact and light as possible.'
The selected rifle will replace the current Sako TRG-42 in service and must be accurate over distances of up to 1,500m.
Evaluation criteria include cost of the rifle and accessories, weight and length, barrel life and the cost of spare parts.
Once test firings are complete and results have been evaluated, a contract will be awarded to the successful company in Q2 2023. The expected delivery date for the new sniper weapons is 2024.
More from Land Warfare
-
US Army to launch hunt for new artillery
The search will look at existing artillery with an acknowledgement that a large part of the effect from the weapons comes from the munitions used.
-
Babcock and Patria join up to compete for the British Army’s medium vehicle requirement
Patria’s 6x6 armoured personnel carrier (APC) forms the basis of the trans-European Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS). The Finnish company and Babcock want to offer it for the UK’s Land Mobility Programme (LMP) medium protected requirement.
-
Six HIMARS rocket launchers to arrive in Estonia by mid-2025
Lockheed Martin has handed over six new HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems to Estonia, which will “soon” be ready to be integrated into the country’s defence forces’ arsenal.
-
First UK-made British Army Boxer rolled out
The first batch of 623 Boxer ordered were built in Germany with the majority of the work now done in West Midlands and North-East Wales.
-
Bidders for the British Army Land Mobility Programme stir as the process begins
The UK’s Land Mobility Programme (LMP) is seen as vital for both the British Army and local industry as it is worth billions-of-dollars for thousands of vehicles.