Estonia and Lithuania have agreed to jointly procure EUR 200 million worth of explosives, explosive materials and charges. Local companies are likely to benefit.
Explosives are needed to detonate enemy landmines if minefields are impassable, the commander of the Engineer Battalion Lt. Col. Priit Heinloo has said.
“In order to get through a larger minefield quickly, rocket demining charges would be needed – either carried by the soldier or larger ones towed by machines. Something that Russia and the U.S. have used. Such equipment is still lacking in the Defense Forces (EDF), but it is planned to acquire it in the near future,” said Heinloo.
Explosives currently used by the EDF are not produced in Estonia and are assembled abroad. Sometimes partners cannot keep up with demand.
“Today our charges are being filled in Poland. And it is also true that the Polish plant is overloaded. Firstly, there are the raw material issues, and secondly, the limited capacity of this plant,” said Ramil Lipp, armament category manager at the Center for Defense Investment.
He believes Estonian companies have the competence to produce the necessary equipment.
Explosive machines and measuring devices are already produced in Estonia and as well as the M-14 mine, which is used by the Estonian Defense Forces. (ERR/Business World Magazine)