Estonia has canceled a planned purchase of new infantry fighting vehicles to replace its current fleet of CV90 vehicles and will redirect the money saved to procuring alternative defense capabilities. TASR writes about it according to Defense News and Army Technology.
- Estonia cancels the purchase of new BVP and redirects the funds to other capabilities.
- Defense Minister Pevkur derives the decision from lessons learned from the war in Ukraine.
- Tallinn invests 100 million euros in the modernization of 44 CV9035NL combat vehicles.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur announced the suspension of the acquisition worth 500 million euros, based on the lessons learned from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This is in contrast to two other Baltic states, Latvia and Lithuania, which have decided to buy new Swedish CV90 and Spanish Ascod infantry fighting vehicles.
Modernization of the vehicle fleet
“We decided that it is now more rational to modernize existing infantry fighting vehicles than to replace them (with new ones). Modernization will ensure permanent preservation of their capabilities and efficient use of resources,” Andri Maimets, spokesman for the Estonian Center for Defense Investments (ECDI), told Defense News.
The spokesman said Tallinn will spend 100 million euros to upgrade the 44 CV9035NLs it acquired between 2016 and 2019. The remaining amount of more than 400 million euros remains unallocated pending the outcome of the analysis.
Priority for drones
In 2025, Estonia signed an agreement with Finland, Norway, Sweden, Lithuania and the Netherlands to jointly review the CV90 Mk IV. Arms industry sources have now said that Estonia is focusing less on armored vehicles. He is more interested in the defense against unmanned aircraft and FPV attack drones, whose tactical and strategic influence was manifested on the Ukrainian battlefield.
In 2025, the Estonian armed forces were strengthened by the Turkish Otokar ARMA 6×6 and Nurol Machina NMS 4×4. “More specifically, the defense forces currently have 133 Otokar vehicles and 96 Nurol vehicles in active service, with four Nurol vehicles delivered to the Estonian Rescue Board,” Andri Maimets said.
Rising defense spending
According to NATO data, Estonia’s defense spending for 2025 will exceed $1.6 billion (3.42 percent of GDP), almost double the $820 million in 2022.
