Estonia has announced a large-scale program to purchase strike unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) worth €400 million over the next seven years, ERR reported on December 6, 2024, citing the Estonian Defense Investment Center (RKIK). The program, which runs until 2031, is aimed at strengthening the country's defense capabilities in the context of the changed geopolitical situation and the experience of the conflict in Ukraine.

According to RKIK spokesman Ramil Lipp, the goal of the program is to attract as many contractors as possible offering different types of attack drones, including FPV drones, loitering munitions and reconnaissance UAVs.

"The experience of the conflict in Ukraine has shown that drones have become a critical element of modern warfare," — Lipp noted, adding that Estonia strives for flexibility in choosing solutions for different scenarios.

The purchases will include both ready-made platforms and technologies for their integration into air defense and troop control systems.

Estonia already has experience in acquiring unmanned systems. In May 2023, the country's Ministry of Defense signed a €100 million contract with Israel Aerospace Industries to supply Mini Harop loitering munitions, which provide high accuracy and firepower for small units. In addition, in 2023, Estonia and Latvia jointly purchased IRIS-T SLM air defense systems from Germany's Diehl Defence for €400 million, which was the largest defense deal for the Baltic states.

The drone procurement program is also linked to Estonia's plans to jointly produce UAVs with Ukraine. As reported by BALTNEWS on May 13, 2025, Estonia intends to produce up to 2000 attack drones per day at factories created in cooperation with Ukrainian companies. Some of the products are planned to be exported, and some to be delivered to Ukraine. However, the construction dates and locations of the factories remain unclear, and some experts, including the leader of the opposition party EKRE, Martin Helme, are skeptical, pointing to possible delays and the lack of need for drones in Ukraine by the time production starts.