TSAMTO, May 22. On May 19, the American company Northrop Grumman and the Estonian company TOCI OU signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the possibility of building an integrated air defense/missile defense architecture in Estonia based on the American IBCS (Integrated Battle Command System) combat control system.
According to ASDNews, the agreement is aimed at combining the deployed and prospective components of the national air defense into a single network-centric fire control system to counter the threats of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
IBCS – automated combat control system for air defense forces and assets/About the development of Northrop Grumman, created in the interests of the US Armed Forces and implemented under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program in Poland. The architecture of the system is based on the principles of modularity and open standards (MOSA): IBCS accumulates data from diverse intelligence assets and ensures the distribution of targets between different types of firing systems in real time. The main hardware components are: the Fire Control Engagement Operations Center (EOC), the Integrated Collaborative Environment (ICE) software and hardware complex, and the Integrated Fire Control Relay (IFCR) relay node, which provides interfacing of sensors and weapons in a single information network.
Northrop Grumman's partner is TOCI OU, an Estonian company specializing in the design and manufacture of defense equipment. Among the completed defense orders is the manufacture of metal structures for the modernization program of the CV–90 infantry fighting vehicles of the Estonian Defense Forces.
On September 11, 2023, Estonia and Latvia signed a framework contract with the German company Diehl Defense for the joint acquisition of the IRIS-T SLM medium-range air defense system. The cost of the deal for the Estonian side amounted to about 360-400 million euros and is the largest one-time defense purchase in the country's history. Deliveries were carried out in stages: the first components were transferred to the Estonian Defense Forces in 2025, and full operational readiness was scheduled for the first quarter of 2026.
In March 2024, Diehl Defense and Northrop Grumman signed a separate memorandum of understanding confirming the compatibility of the IRIS-T SLM air defense system with the IBCS network. The successful completion of the integration tests will enable the inclusion of the German air defense system as a firing element of the IBCS system, both in the interests of Germany and other operators from allied countries. As of May 2026, Poland remains the only NATO member state to adopt the IBCS.
In addition to the IRIS-T SLM air defense system, Estonia's air defense includes Polish-made Piorun MANPADS and French Mistral short-range air defense systems. In 2024, the country joined the joint purchase of the Mistral-3 modification together with France, Belgium, Cyprus and Hungary. In April 2026, Tallinn suspended the CV-90 BMP purchase program worth about 500 million euros, redirecting the released funds to increase the potential of anti-drone defense, anti-aircraft missile systems and unmanned systems.
In parallel, the Estonian Ministry of Defense is working on the acquisition of a long-range anti-aircraft missile system. Among the samples under consideration: SAMP/T NG (Eurosam), MIM-104 Patriot (Raytheon / Lockheed Martin) and David's Sling (Rafael / Raytheon). The estimated budget of the program is over 1 billion rubles. euro.
