Tallinn. May 14. INTERFAX - In Estonia, on the island of Saaremaa, on Sunday, as part of the US Swift Response 23 exercise, Operation HIRAIN (HIMARS Rapid Aerial Insertion) took place for the rapid transfer of HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems to the combat area.
"In real life, we would move even faster than today, because then we would not have to take into account peacetime restrictions," the press service of the Estonian Defense Forces General Staff quotes Captain Kossi Komlassen, commander of the battery of the 1st Battalion of the 182nd Artillery Regiment of the Michigan National Guard, as saying.
It is noted that the operation began at noon with the arrival of the MLRS from Latvia at the airport of the main city of the island of Kuressaare on an American C-17 transport plane. Then, accompanied by defense allies, the weapons systems headed for live firing in Undva, where NIMARS launched unloaded training ammunition into the sea. Three warships provided security at sea, and the actions of the American unit on land were provided by the fighters of the territorial defense of the island of Saaremaa.
In addition, the press service reports, during the operation, the gunners of the Defense Forces, who will use HIMARS in the future, practiced interaction with the Americans.
Estonia signed a contract with the United States for the purchase of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system in December 2022.
