Unique unit: NATO troops will destroy enemy air defense with Mini-Harpy drones (video)
The Estonian military decided to adopt the experience of the Ukrainian army and use special drones designed to search for anti-aircraft systems.
The Estonian army will soon create a unit dedicated exclusively to attacking the enemy with kamikaze drones and will initially purchase Mini-Harpy UAVs from the Israeli company IAI. This was stated by Major Andriy Shlabovich of the Estonian Army in an interview with Defense One.
According to him, this will be the first unit of its kind in NATO, whose members use the experience of the Ukrainian military, which destroys Russian air defense systems with barrage munitions. The Estonian unit will be tasked with eliminating the enemy’s anti-aircraft missile systems. To do this, the soldiers will be equipped with drones from Israel Aerospace Industries, specially designed to search for anti-aircraft systems using radar. Andrii Shlabovych said that Estonia will use Mini-Harpy kamikaze drones.
The Estonian military officer emphasized that, in addition to the successes of the Armed Forces in fighting the air defense of the Russian occupiers, the idea of creating such a unit was supported by the successful elimination of Armenia’s air defense by Azerbaijani drones in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan used barrage munitions from Israel Aerospace Industries to destroy Armenian S-300 anti-aircraft systems. The Harpy drone is programmed for autonomous flight, but after launch, the operator can monitor the location and status, setting new coordinates, switching modes, or canceling the attack if necessary.
Estonia is also learning a lot from Ukraine, the major said. He noted that members of the Estonian Defense Force, a military reserve, traveled to Ukraine as civilians to train with unmanned units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. One of the main lessons learned by the Estonian military from the experience of their Ukrainian colleagues is the importance of stealth on the battlefield.
Estonian ground forces are already learning how to avoid being spotted by drones. The Baltic country’s dense forests are particularly useful for sheltering soldiers, Shlabovich added.
The major said that the quantity of drones is more important than their quality, especially given Estonia’s limited defense budget. Tallinn plans to spend just over $1 billion a year on its army through 2026, raising defense spending to about 2.5 percent of GDP.
