Equipment of the Maavägi

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Since the restoration of the Estonian Defence Forces on September 3, 1991 the Maavägi has developed with a great deal.^[1] Today the Ground Force operates with modern weapons and weapon-systems on foreign missions and future battlefields. Even though the current logistic support is still based on variety of different and mainly older western vehicles, also former soviet, the modernization of the army branch is in the national defence policy agenda. In recent years Estonia has purchased more modern transport vehicles for the armed forces of the republic.

This is a list of weapons used by the Maavägi:

[edit] Armor

[edit] Armoured personnel carriers

• Sisu XA-180 armoured personnel carrier. The Ministry of Defence has plans to obtain another 30 units from Finland.^[2] Units: 60.
  3 units have been lost during the war in Afghanistan (2001–present).
• BTR-80 armoured personnel carrier. Units: 80.
• BTR-152 armoured personnel carrier. Units: 5.

[edit] Armoured cars

• Mamba Alvis-4 armoured car. Units: 9.
• BRDM-2 armoured amphibious scout car. Units: 7.

[edit] Support vehicles

• Bandvagn 206 tracked articulated all-terrain carrier. Units: has not been revealed

[edit] Artillery

[edit] Mortars

• 81mm Soltam light mortar. Units: has not been revealed
• 120mm M/41D heavy mortar. Units: has not been revealed

[edit] Howitzers

• 105mm M-40 light field howitzer. Units: 20.
• 122mm D-30 light field howitzer.^[3] Units: 36.
• 155mm FH-70 heavy field howitzer. Units: 24.

[edit] Anti-tank weapons

[edit] Anti-tank artillery

• 90mm Pvpj 1110 light anti-tank gun. Units: has not been revealed
• 106mm M40 light anti-tank gun. A large number has been mounted on jeeps. Units: has not been revealed

[edit] Anti-tank missiles

• 40mm M-69 shoulder-launched missile.
• 82mm B-300 shoulder-launched missile.
• 84mm M-86 shoulder-launched missile.
• 84mm Carl-Gustaf M2 shoulder-launched missile.
• 115mm MILAN-2 anti-tank guided missile. Majority of the weapon-systems have been mounted on Mercedes-Benz 250GD jeeps.
• 148mm MAPATS anti-tank guided missile.
• 180mm MAPATS anti-tank guided missile. Majority of the weapon-systems have been mounted on Chevrolet M1008 jeeps.

[edit] Air-defence weapons

[edit] Air-defence artillery

• 23mm ZU-23-2 Short-range air-defence artillery. Units: 198.

[edit] Air-defence missiles

• 90mm Mistral surface-to-air missile. Missiles have been mounted on tactical transport vehicles and include radars. Units: 25 batteries.

[edit] Infantry weapons

The Ground Force soldiers are equipped with the new Estonian digital camoflage uniforms (ESTDCU). The soldier equipment includes a PASGT helmet, interceptor body armor and also a night vision device.

[edit] Pistols, shotguns and sniper rifles

• Heckler & Koch USP semi-automatic pistol. Units: ca. 2,000.
• Benelli M3T semi-automatic shotgun.
• Sako TRG-42 sniper rifle.
• IMI Galil sniper rifle.
• PGM Hecate II sniper rifle.

[edit] Assault rifles and machine guns

• AK4 assault rifle. Units: ca. 50,000.
• IMI Galil AR assault rifle.
• IMI Galil ARM assault rifle.
• IMI Galil SAR assault rifle.
• Uzi submachine gun.
• Light machine gun IMI Negev LMG light machine gun.
• Machine gun MG3 light machine gun.
• Ksp 58 light machine gun.
• Browning M2 heavy machine gun. Some have been mounted on Sisu Xa-180 armoured personnel carriers with special firing turrets.

[edit] Army aviation

There are plans to develop a helicopter transport capability for the Ground Force. The National Defence Policy Agenda is currently under a development, the Army aviation development areas will be announced in late 2008.

[edit] Notes and references