Germany Seals Estonian Arms Deal

Germany has cut a major arms deal worth an unspecified amount of money with the Estonian army, according to the Estonian daily Postimees. The deal will include two of the eastern European nation’s largest purchases of arms in the last decade when it takes delivery of second-hand howitzers and anti-tank missile launchers from Germany’s Bundeswehr. The paper reported that the Estonian Defense Ministry declined to reveal both the amount of money spent on the 155-millimeter howitzers and guided anti-tank missile launchers and their exact quantity, citing state secrets. Madis Mikko, a spokesman for the ministry, said the Germans would also provide ammunition, spare parts and training along with the purchased weapons. The newspaper suggested the number of purchased howitzers could reach 18 and the number of anti-tank missile complexes is somewhere between 16 and 24.