On February 10, 2024, the State Defense Investment Center of the Ministry of Defense of Estonia (Riigi Kaitseinvesteeringute Keskus - RKIK) announced that a mobile coastal anti-ship missile system with Blue Spear 5G anti-ship missiles, supplied by the Israeli-Singaporean company Proteus Advanced Systems Pte. Ltd., a joint venture of the Israeli company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), had arrived in Estonia and Singapore-based ST Engineering Land Systems Ltd. Estonia became the first recipient of the Blue Spear 5G missiles, which are essentially an export version of the new Israeli Gabriel V (Gabriel 5) anti-ship missile developed by IAI.
Containerized self-propelled launcher on a Scania 8x8 automobile chassis of the mobile coastal anti-ship missile system with Blue Spear 5G anti-ship missiles purchased by Estonia, manufactured by the Israeli-Singaporean company Proteus Advanced Systems (c) a frame from the video of Proteus Advanced Systems
The contract for the purchase of a mobile coastal anti-ship missile system with Blue Spear 5G anti-ship missiles was signed by RKIK with Proteus Advanced Systems in October 2021. According to Estonian media, the cost of the contract is about 100 million euros.
In fact, the coastal version of the Blue Spear 5G complex was specially developed under this contract for Estonia and passed the appropriate tests in Israel. The complex, judging by the images on the widespread Proteus Advanced Systems promotional video, is made on a Scania 8x8 automobile chassis, and all its elements are disguised as commercial vans. The launcher is made of a four-container lifting system. It is reported that the direct installation of the elements of the complex on the Scania 8x8 chassis was carried out by the Estonian company Pro Lift OY.
As part of the Estonian Navy, the mobile coastal anti-ship missile system with Blue Spear 5G missiles became part of the formed coastal missile division with a staff of more than 100 military personnel, and it is stated that some of them have already been trained (apparently in Israel). Representatives of the Estonian Navy said that the possibility of the subsequent deployment of Blue Spear 5G missiles and in the ship-based version is being studied. The Blue Spear 5G missiles have a claimed range of 290 km (in accordance with the MTCR limits) and are capable of hitting both marine and stationary ground targets. According to a number of publications, the actual range of the Gabriel V / Blue Spear 5G reaches 400 km in terms of altitude flight profile. Thus, with the acquisition of a missile system with Blue Spear 5G missiles, Estonia gets the ability to hit targets at an operational and tactical range.
The creation of a joint venture Proteus Advanced Systems for the joint production and sale of Gabriel V missiles under the Blue Spear brand was announced in the summer of 2020, and it was initially expected that this project would focus primarily on the Singapore Navy, as well as other Southeast Asian countries. It was reported that within the framework of this joint venture, Singapore's ST Engineering Land Systems is responsible for the production of the warhead and the solid-fuel rocket launch engine. In December 2023, the Ministry of National Defense of Singapore awarded Proteus Advanced Systems a contract for the supply of Blue Spear 5G missiles to replace American Harpoon missiles on six frigates of the Singapore navy of the Formidable type during their upcoming medium repair and modernization. The original Gabriel V missiles have been mass-produced by IAI since 2018 and purchased by the Israeli and Finnish Navies.
The Blue Spear 5G rocket has a launch weight of 1,250 kg, a 150 kg warhead, a length of 5.5 m, is equipped with a marching turbojet engine and has a "high subsonic" speed. The control system is combined and includes an active radar homing head, an inertial satellite guidance system and a two-way datalink, which allows the missile to be guided in flight and re-aimed.
"The acquisition of anti-ship missiles is crucial for improving the level of defense capability of the Navy and Estonia as a whole. We have reached another important milestone, which is necessary to ensure the sense of security of the people of Estonia and the protection of the country both at sea, on land and in the air. The presence of Blue Spear in the Navy significantly increases the range of damage to the Estonian Defense Forces and strengthens the deterrence of a possible aggressor," said Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur. In turn, the Deputy Commander of the Estonian Navy, Captain Johan-Elias Selamaa, said that "the Blue Spear 5G surface defense missile system, together with naval mines, will become the cornerstone of Estonia's maritime defense for the coming decades."
Image of the Blue Spear 5G anti-ship missile (c) Israel Aerospace Industries
Test firing in Israel of a mobile coastal anti-ship missile system with Blue Spear 5G anti-ship missiles manufactured for Estonia by the Israeli-Singaporean company Proteus Advanced Systems (c) a frame from the video of Proteus Advanced Systems
The range of the mobile coastal anti-ship missile system with Blue Spear 5G anti-ship missiles acquired by Estonia, manufactured by the Israeli-Singaporean company Proteus Advanced Systems, in accordance with the officially declared range of 290 km (s) news.err.ee
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