TSAMTO, March 13. On March 11, the Estonian Defense Investment Center (RKIK/ECDI) announced the transfer of about 50 armored vehicles purchased in Turkey to the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the country's Armed Forces.
Most of them are Arma armored vehicles with a 6x6 wheelbase. The Estonian Armed Forces also received NMS armored vehicles with a 4x4 wheel arrangement, which will be used by units of the 1st and 2nd infantry brigades. A number of 4x4 armored vehicles were purchased for the Estonian Rescue Department.
According to ECDI representative Marek Mardo, the armored vehicles purchased in Turkey have been developed taking into account the requirements of the Estonian Armed Forces and are coming off the assembly line of Turkish companies almost ready for use. Only communication facilities and some additional equipment need to be installed in Estonia.
The first armored vehicles arrived in Estonia at the end of 2024, and the recruits of the 2nd Infantry Brigade have already begun training on them. The equipment will be used in the Siil exercises scheduled for May. It is expected that all ordered armored vehicles will be delivered to Estonia by the end of this year.
As stated, the new armored vehicles will provide better protection for personnel from small arms fire, as well as from mines and shell fragments. In addition, the mobility of the units is improving, as the cross-country capability of armored vehicles is significantly better than that of trucks, which were previously used as vehicles in the 2nd Infantry Brigade. The armored vehicles are armed with 12.7 mm machine guns.
As reported by CAMTO, in October 2023, the Estonian Defense Investment Center (ECDI) signed contracts with Turkish companies Nurol Makina and Otokar for the purchase of about 230 wheeled armored vehicles. The total cost of the purchase is about 200 million euros.
Thus, a contract was signed with Otokar for the supply of 112 Arma armored personnel carriers with a 6x6 wheel formula worth about 130 million euros, including maintenance equipment and training services. Nurol Makina, under a contract with ECDI, will supply 112 NSM light armored vehicles with a 4x4 wheelbase with a total cost of $60 million to the Estonian Armed Forces. Deliveries are expected to be completed by 2025.
Deliveries of equipment to Estonia began in the second half of 2024. Most of the NMS and Arma armored vehicles are supplied in troop transport versions, while a small number are control vehicles. The NMS is produced in a model with an extended wheelbase.
NSM armored vehicles with a 4x4 wheel arrangement will be used by units of the 1st and 2nd infantry brigades, and armored personnel carriers with a 6x6 wheel arrangement will enter service with the 2nd Infantry Brigade.
In addition, four Nurol Makina NSM armored vehicles have been purchased for the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Center of the Estonian Rescue Department, but they can also be used by the Estonian Police and Border Guard Department and the Estonian Internal Security Service. Their cost is estimated at 2.7 million euros.
The contracts are designed for 10 years and provide for the purchase of additional armored vehicles and spare parts as needed. The agreements also include provisions on maintenance, repair and modernization of equipment.
