Posts Tagged ‘defence’
Lockheed Martin to build HIMARS sustainment centre in Estonia
Great news for our international partners. Estonia will increase the Film Estonia cash rebate from 30% to 40%, strengthening the country’s competitiveness in the international film production market. “It’s official. Minister Heidy Purga has confirmed the final step of a long process: Film Estonia moves forward with a 40% cash rebate for film and TV production.
Regulations still need to be updated — and then, let’s roll!” stated Edith Sepp, head of the Estonian Film Institute.
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Originally published on 23 Mar
Read MoreAnother new innovative and military technology company in the Port of Riga
Ship design and construction company “Latitude Construction”, working under the Latitude Yachts brand in the Port of Riga, will establish a new company “Latitude Naval Technologies” with the aim to develop modern offshore platforms for security and defense operations.
Thus, another company will join the innovative and military technology production facilities of the Port of Riga, developing a new direction in the Latvian shipbuilding industry, combining extensive experience in shipbuilding with the growing demand for modern maritime safety technologies. In the current conditions, such a production facility will not only contribute to the economic growth of Latvia but also boost the security of Latvia and its partners.
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Originally published on 18 Mar
Read MoreEstonian Defence Week “How to Win the Next War” to convene 4,000 defence leaders in Tallinn
Estonian Defence Week (EDW) will take place in September 2026, hosted by the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association (EDIA) together with the Ministry of Defence, the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) and Tehnopol Science and Business Park.
Building on the strong foundation of last year’s inaugural edition — with international exhibitors including major global players such as Airbus, BlackBerry, and Saab — the 2026 event will take place under the title “How to Win the Next War”, attracting defence companies, investors, policymakers, and military leaders from Estonia and abroad.
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Originally published on 12 Mar
Read MoreArms across the water Sweden is helping Poland spend its defence budget
A delegation of more than 100 representatives from Sweden, led by the country’s king, wrapped up a three-day visit to Poland on Wednesday that was focused on deepening security and economic co-operation between the two countries. The visit comes as Stockholm and Warsaw are assembling defence forces that Moscow would think twice about tangling with. Both have shown that they can keep low-intensity harassment in the Baltic in check, but the bigger concern is whether they would be able to prevent a Russian land grab, and whether they could do so independent of American help.
A Poland-Swedish partnership is a match made in military-industrial heaven. Concerned that it does not have the modern kit needed to pose a credible deterrence, Poland spends half of its defence budget—per capita the largest in Nato—on new equipment. That is more money than it can spend at home, and it has made Poland one of the biggest markets for Swedish arms exporters. Saab’s sales of big-ticket items account for much of that, but there is plenty of potential for smaller firms to get in on the act, according to Business Sweden, a lobby group. It reckons that there are some 380 companies—many of them small and medium-sized—involved directly in arms production, and that vastly more making the civilian technologies that go into weapons. Modern warfare is good business for ploughshares that can be used as swords.
Read MoreHanwha Aerospace to invest €100M in Estonia’s defence industry
Estonia cooperates extensively both within NATO and with a wider block of allies. This week, South Korean defence giant Hanwha Aerospace has announced a direct investment package of nearly €100M in Estonia, with the total economic impact — including joint R&D activities with local companies — projected to reach up to €260M. The investment aims to strengthen Estonia’s technological sovereignty and establish the country as a regional hub for territorial defence systems.
The announcement builds on a deepening bilateral relationship. In late 2024, Estonia signed a €290M contract with Hanwha to procure at least six Chunmoo multiple-launch rocket systems alongside three types of munitions. Hanwha had previously delivered six K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers to the Estonian Defence Forces, making it one of Tallinn’s most significant defence procurement partners. Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur noted that Hanwha is also among the potential bidders for Estonia’s upcoming naval overhaul.
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Originally published on 6 Mar
Read MoreSaildrone Expands Persistent Maritime Capabilities with Sub-Seafloor Awareness in the Baltic
Following numerous attacks by unidentified hostile actors, the leaders of the Baltic states have committed to jointly expanding their ability to monitor and protect critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. Scattered across the 110,000-square-nautical-mile (422,000-square-kilometer) maritime region are energy and communication cables, pipelines, and wind pylons—all potential targets for disruption.
Protecting undersea infrastructure requires continuous maritime presence, not episodic patrols. Persistent surface and subsurface awareness eliminates predictable gaps that adversaries can exploit and strengthens deterrence in contested waters. Saildrone, the global leader in autonomous ocean exploration, has successfully integrated and operated a sub-bottom profiler (SBP) on a Saildrone Voyager unmanned surface vehicle (USV).
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Originally published on 3 Mar
Read MoreInsta and the Ukrainian defence company Tencore agree on technology cooperation related to unmanned ground vehicles
The Finnish technology company Insta, specializing in defence solutions and cybersecurity, and the Ukrainian supplier of robotic platforms Tencore have agreed on extensive Build With Ukraine joint production initiative, cooperation and the development of military technology.
According to the agreement (Memorandum of Understanding), Insta and Tencore will advance and explore the localization of production of unmanned TerMIT UGV ground vehicles in Finland. This includes manufacturing, assembly, and supply chain development. The agreement also covers joint product development related to integrating AI and autonomy solutions combat or military platforms
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Originally published on 26 Feb
Read MoreAn unmanned invasion Denmark’s military build-up is going to the drones
Denmark has reactivated an air-force squadron that will operate four long-range drones to support surveillance of its interests in the Arctic, the North Atlantic and the Baltic. The decision to purchase the American-produced MQ-9B SeaGuardians was announced last year, as was the three-year wait to have them delivered. But building up a drone corps in Denmark will take time as well; the air-force announced yesterday that it will need to hire and train a hundred or so people—many of them civilians—to keep the drones up and running.
The drone purchase is being made with the blank cheque the government gave the military last year, when it ordered it to procure the materiel it deems necessary to scale up its capacity as quickly as possible. Drones, it appears, fit that bill nicely: the SeaGuardians join four saildrones that were sea-trialled in June in preparation for surveillance operations in the Baltic. Compared with crewed systems, the drones are cheap and quickly rolled out.
The saildrones are also American-made, however—a fact that does not sit well with those who would prefer that the military start buying more of its kit in Europe. Other European armies are stocking up on American arms too, though: Germany, Belgium and Poland are all buying SeaGuardians. The saildrones’ producer, for its part, has chosen to set up a European sales office in Copenhagen. Denmark is unlikely to be the last country American drones take over.
Read MoreElmar Vaher appointed director-general of ECDI
Elmar Vaher has been appointed director-general of the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI). Elmar was selected by the defence minister, Hanno Pevkur, on the recommendation of the government’s senior executive selection committee.
From 2013 to 2023, Elmar served as director-general of the Police and Border Guard Board, where he led the consolidation and modernisation of one of Estonia’s largest public-sector organisations. He holds a master’s degree in law and has completed several executive-level leadership programmes.
Connect with Elmar on LinkedIn
Read MoreParticipants at Military Mobility Forum: operational mobility is key to collective defence
On 17 February 2026, the first high-level forum on military mobility in the Baltic region took place in Vilnius, bringing together ministers, senior officials, military experts, infrastructure leaders, and other high-level representatives from across Europe. The LTG Forum on Military Mobility and Resilience was led by Lietuvos geležinkeliai (LTG) Group in cooperation with the Lithuanian Ministry of Transport and Communications and under the patronage of Gitanas Nausėda, demonstrating the growing strategic importance of resilient, dual-use infrastructure for Europe’s security and defence posture.
The presence of two European Commissioners underscored the political weight of the event and signaled that the European Union is treating the defence of its Eastern flank as a concrete priority. Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space, stressed that credible deterrence depends on Europe’s ability to move forces rapidly and effectively across borders, emphasizing that military mobility is not simply a transport matter but a strategic precondition for security. Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, highlighted that preparedness requires clear and simplified rules enabling swift cross-border movement of personnel and equipment, particularly along Europe’s Eastern flank.
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Originally published on 17 Feb
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