DTN News - JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE: U.S., NATO Troops Train in Latvia #2 (Images)

DTN News - JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE:  U.S., NATO Troops Train in Latvia #2 (Images)

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources DTN Defense News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 18, 2014:  In light of the Russian military intervention in Ukraine, the United States is demonstrating its continued commitment to collective security through a series of actions designed to reassure NATO Allies and partners of America's dedication to enduring peace and stability in the region. 


As a first response to demonstrate our commitment to the defense of our Allies, the U.S. augmented its participation in Baltic Air Policing by sending an additional six F-15s to the NATO mission.  Under operation ATLANTIC RESOLVE, U.S. Army Europe forces have deployed to Latvia, along with other Allies in the region, to conduct land forces training.  

* U.S., NATO Troops Train in Latvia - Related Images;

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources DTN Defense News
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*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
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DTN News - JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE: U.S., NATO Troops Train in Latvia

DTN News - JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE:  U.S., NATO Troops Train in Latvia

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources DTN Defense News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 17, 2014:  In light of the Russian military intervention in Ukraine, the United States is demonstrating its continued commitment to collective security through a series of actions designed to reassure NATO Allies and partners of America's dedication to enduring peace and stability in the region. 

As a first response to demonstrate our commitment to the defense of our Allies, the U.S. augmented its participation in Baltic Air Policing by sending an additional six F-15s to the NATO mission.  Under operation ATLANTIC RESOLVE, U.S. Army Europe forces have deployed to Latvia, along with other Allies in the region, to conduct land forces training.  

U.S. and Latvian troops participate in a range of other joint and multilateral exercises, including SABER STRIKE, BALTOPS, and STEADFAST JAZZ.  Latvian soldiers and defense personnel also receive technical training and strategic education in the United States.

As NATO allies, the United States and Latvia are committed to each other’s defense and partner in critical areas around the world.  Latvia contributes important capabilities to the Alliance’s collective security, including the training of U.S.-certified joint terminal attack controllers (JTAC) who coordinate air support for ground units during operations.

 The government of Latvia has recognized the danger of increased cyber threats and is working together with NATO, the European Union, the Baltic states, Nordic states, and the United States to strengthen its cybersecurity.  The United States supports Latvia’s efforts through visits by U.S. experts and Latvian participation in EUCOM- and NATO-sponsored events and U.S.-based training.  The government of Latvia is also a partner in the Freedom Online Coalition, a group of governments collaborating to advance Internet freedom. 

Italian paratroopers listen during rehearsals for an air assault with U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawks, a CH-47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache helicopters during NATO exercise Steadfast Javelin II on Lielvarde Airbase, Latvia, Sept. 7, 2014. 

The helicopter crews are assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, and the Italian paratroopers are assigned to the Italian Folgore Parachute Brigade. 

The exercise, which involves more than 2,000 troops from nine nations, takes place across Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

A U.S. soldier, second from left, briefs Italian paratroopers during rehearsals for an air assault during NATO exercise Steadfast Javelin II on Lielvarde Airbase, Latvia, Sept. 7, 2014. The soldier is assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources DTN Defense News
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
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DTN News: U.S. Marines Arrive In Estonia To Take Part In Baltops 2010 Drills

DTN News: U.S. Marines Arrive In Estonia To Take Part In Baltops 2010 Drills

Source: DTN News / RIA Novosti Dt. June 6, 2010

(NSI News Source Info) TALLINN, Estonia - June 8, 2010: Over 300 U.S. marines arrived in Estonia to take part in the Baltops-2010 naval exercises in the Baltic Sea on June 7-18, the press service of Estonia's General Staff said. They will join 200 U.S. marines who already arrived in the Baltic state. The Baltops exercise has been held annually since 1994 within the framework of the NATO Partnership for Peace Program. It is aimed to promote a mutual understanding of maritime interoperability between U.S. Navy, NATO, and non-NATO participants. This year, the exercise will be held in Latvia and Estonia and will involve about 3,000 servicemen from the U.S., Belgium, Estonia, Denmark, France, Russia, Latvia, the U.K., Lithuania, Germany and Sweden. A total of 36 vessels, two submarines and other military vehicles will take part in the drills, including Russia's amphibious assault landing ship, the Kaliningrad. Kaliningrad class ships are capable of carrying up to 500 tons of cargo, 13 tanks and more than 200 naval infantry. The warship represented Russia at the BALTOPS drills five times since 2003.

DTN News: NATO Air Defense Drills Begin In The Baltics

DTN News: NATO Air Defense Drills Begin In The Baltics

*Source: DTN News / RIA Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) TALLINN, Estonia - July 15, 2009: NATO states will start in the Baltic states on Tuesday a series of air defense exercises involving Czech fighter jets, the Estonian Defense Ministry said. The two-day drills are focused on improving air interoperability and developing NATO air forces' capabilities in defending the air space over the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The exercises will involve four Czech JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets, based at the Lithuanian Siauliai Air Base, and a U.S. C-130 Hercules military transport plane. The exercises are a continuation of NATO's air policing drills, held last October and this April. NATO's air policing is one of the key aspects of common security and defense for the Alliance. In the case of the three Baltic states, the alliance rotates air policing capabilities. The Czech Air Force took over Baltic air policing from the Royal Danish Air Force on May 1. At the end of its leg, the Czech Republic will hand over the NATO mission to the German Air Force later this year. A NATO agreement on airspace security over Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia is set to expire in 2011, and the three countries are currently pushing for the agreement to be extended to 2018.

DTN News: Estonia To Send Additional Peacekeeping Unit To Afghanistan

DTN News: Estonia To Send Additional Peacekeeping Unit To Afghanistan

*Source: Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) TALLINN - June 14, 2009: Estonian lawmakers have decided to send an additional contingent of peacekeepers to Afghanistan to improve security ahead of the war-torn country's August 20 presidential election, the parliamentary press service said on Thursday. The Baltic country initially planned to send the peacekeeping unit to Iraq, but Estonia officially ended its mission in Iraq in early February after the Iraqi government gave no request for the mission to be prolonged. Over 20 countries have already decided on sending additional units to Afghanistan, including Finland, Sweden, Lithuania and Poland. An Estonian 34-soldier infantry platoon returned from Iraq in December 2008. Estonian servicemen have been involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom since June 2003. Two Estonian soldiers have died and 18 have been wounded in the country. Since 2003, Estonian soldiers have been in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The country's military has seen three deaths and about 30 servicemen wounded during its participation in NATO operations in Afghanistan.

DTN News: Estonia, Finland Order 14 Medium-Range Radars / Estonia Concluded A Contract For The Procurement Of Two Medium Range Radar Systems

DTN News: Estonia, Finland Order 14 Medium-Range Radars / Estonia Concluded A Contract For The Procurement Of Two Medium Range Radar Systems

(NSI News Source Info) June 4, 2009: Today, Estonia concluded a procurement contract, together with the Finnish Ministry of Defence and the French company Thales-Raytheon Systems, for the procurement of two 3D medium range radar systems, which will cover Estonia and its surrounding airspace with a single radar image.

ThalesRaytheonSystems has been selected to deliver Medium Range Air Surveillance Systems including 14 Ground Master 403 radar systems, 12 for Finland and two for Estonia, and a Long Range Air Identification and Surveillance Radar System Mid Life Upgrade for five Teresa 22XX radars for Finland, which were previously supplied by Thales. The order value for the Ground Master radars and the Teresa upgrade is expected to be approximately €200 million ($265 million). ThalesRaytheonSystems has also been selected to provide 12 Sentinel radars as part of the air defense system selected by the Finnish Ministry of Defense to fulfill Finland's future Medium Range Air Defense Missile System (MRADMS) requirements.

Estonia and Finland will together procure a total of 14 radar systems of the Ground Master 403 series. The two radar systems intended for Estonia are meant to supplement Estonia’s current sole 3D medium range radar in Kellavere, in West-Viru County, and to also provide a sufficient air surveillance image for Western and South-eastern Estonia.

The formidable air surveillance image created thanks to the procurement will increase early warning time in case of possible crisis situations, and is also the prerequisite for the operation of air policing fighter craft and air defence missile systems, the procurement of which is planned for the future. Also, as a member of NATO, Estonia is required to provide elementary radar coverage on its territory and to some extent also outside of the Alliance’s external border. Minister of defence Jaak Aaviksoo expressed hope that the joint procurement with Finland creates good premise for future joint procurements. “Several priorities of the Estonian National defence development plan for 2009-2018 – air surveillance and defence, communications and command systems, rapid response capability – overlap with the long-term planning directions of Finnish national defence,” noted Aaviksoo.

According to Finland’s Minister of Defence, Jyri Häkämies, the joint radar procurement with Estonia benefits both parties. “Combining our procurements is very economical financially. And the cooperation, in terms of procurements and equipment, also strengthens the relations between Estonia’s and Finland’s national defence structures,” said Minister of Defence Häkämies.

For Estonia, the procurement totals MEEK 350, to be paid based on a flexible schedule for payments during the period 2009-2014. Since Finland and Estonia have procured a total of 14 radar systems, the producer can, thanks to production efficiency, offer the systems at very reasonable prices – technically Estonia gets two radar systems for the price of one thanks to the joint procurement with Finland.

The Thales-Raytheon Systems Ground Master 403 radar systems are capable of detecting aircraft at a range of up to 470 km and at an altitude of up to 30 km. These are mobile systems, meaning that when necessary the radar can be relocated from its permanent position and set up elsewhere within an hour.

In addition to two primary radar systems, the procurement includes secondary radar systems, generators for the radar systems, containers, vehicles, training and radomes (domes to cover the radar systems when they are in their stationary positions).

According to the procurement contract, Thales-Raytheon Systems has the obligation to make offset purchases with a procurement contract of similar scope from Estonian enterprises. Preferable for the offset purchases would be areas such as research and development, strategic goods and high-tech goods.

This way, the radar procurement also provides support for the development of innovative and high-tech industries in Estonia. The spectrum of the offset purchases reaches from the export of products and services, research and development, investments and technology transfers to corresponding marketing support.

The Estonian and Finnish Ministries of Defence concluded a Memorandum of Understanding in October 2007, for carrying out the joint radar procurement. According to the memorandum, the Finnish Air Force, with the participation of the Estonian Ministry of Defence and experts of the Defence Forces, prepared an invitation for tender to determine the most suitable radar system. One of the priorities of the National defence development plan for 2009-2018, which was approved by the government in January 2009, is the further development of the reconnaissance, surveillance and early warning systems of the Estonian Defence Forces. The procurement for the air surveillance radar systems is the first of the larger procurements planned in the recently approved development plan.

Armenia May Pull Out Of NATO-Led Drills In Georgia

Armenia May Pull Out Of NATO-Led Drills In Georgia

(NSI News Source Info) YEREVAN - May 5, 2009: Armenia will not take part in the upcoming NATO-led Cooperative Longbow /Cooperative Lancer 2009 military exercises in Georgia, an Armenian newspaper said on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources. The Aravot newspaper said the decision was made after a meeting last Wednesday in Brussels between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at which the NATO chief supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Relations have been tense for more than two decades between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan with a largely Armenian population. The region declared its independence in a 1991 after a referendum boycotted by local Azerbaijanis. The ensuing conflict claimed some 35,000 lives before a ceasefire was signed in 1994. The area technically remains part of Azerbaijan, but has its own de facto government. However, Armenian authorities have not yet officially confirmed the country's withdrawal from the NATO exercises. Armenian Foreign Ministry told RIA Novosti on Tuesday that the situation "was still unclear." The Cooperative Longbow/Cooperative Lancer 2009 command-and-staff exercise, which Russia has criticized as unhelpful in the wake of last summer's armed conflict between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia, is scheduled for May 6-June 1. According to NATO, the drills are aimed at improving interoperability between NATO and partner countries, within the framework of Partnership for Peace, Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative programs, and will not involve any light or heavy weaponry. Over 1,300 troops from 19 NATO member or ally states were originally scheduled to participate, but Kazakhstan, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova and Serbia have already withdrawn. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan confirmed on May 1 its participation in the NATO-led exercises, and stressed the country's commitment to relations with NATO and its active participation in the Individual Partnership Action Plan.

Russia Feeling A Pinch To Upgrade Military Arsenal

Russia Feeling A Pinch To Upgrade Military Arsenal

(NSI News Source Info) March 29, 2009: There is a debate going on within the Russian military over how to proceed with reforming the military. Many generals believe that the military industries that produced a wide range of weapons for the Soviet Union are now either gone or no longer capable of producing competitive weapons or equipment.

An example is the Mi-8 helicopter. This was Russia's answer to the radical American UH-1 ("Huey"). While the UH-1 was replaced by the much improved UH-60 in the 1980s, the Mi-8 has gone through lots of upgrades (to the current Mi-171), but never a new design. Russian industry has a new design, the Mi-38, but no customers. Even the Russian military cannot afford to buy the more expensive, which is competitive with the UH-60.

The Euromil Mi-38 is a cargo helicopter designed by Mil but being developed and marketed by the Euromil international consortium. Originally intended as a replacement for the Mil Mi-8 and the Mi-17, it is being marketed in both military and civil versions. It flew for the first time on 22 December 2003.

This is typical of the fundamental situation throughout the Russian military. They cannot afford modern equipment, and as a result, Russian military industries are not getting the orders required to keep them in business. The government has, in the last decade, announced that it was going to buy new equipment for the military. But the new stuff never shows up. Oh, some does, in fits and starts. But, as many of the generals and admirals have noted, the money isn't there. And with the low price of oil, and other raw materials Russia exports, the money won't be there for a while. Many generals oppose the current reforms, which includes dismissing thousands of generals and disbanding the mass reserve army. For over a century, this reserve army was organized to raise millions of troops, armed with low-tech weapons and poorly trained, to defend Russia from invasion. Further investigation has revealed that the Cyber War attacks on Estonia and Georgia (which temporarily shut down Internet access in those countries), while carried out by nationalistic Russian hackers, was done at the instigation of Russian government officials (who got in touch with leaders of Russian hacker groups and requested the attacks). The government has reduced the list of weapons subject to export control (you need permission to sell abroad). The weapons still on the list are; shoulder fired surface-to-air missile systems, portable antitank guided missile launchers (ATGMs), portable anti-tank rocket grenade launchers (RPGs), and portable flamethrowers. Several weapon types, which used to be controlled, are no longer. These include revolvers and self-loading pistols, rifles, sub-machineguns, automatic rifles, light machineguns, antiaircraft machineguns, antitank guns, and light and medium mortars (caliber less than100 mm). In another attempt to clean up the corrupt and inefficient national police, a code of conduct has been issued for the force. Bribery, drinking on the job and adultery (among many other forms of misbehavior) are now forbidden. The government has ordered army and police authorities in Chechnya to set up a timetable to officially end their operations there. Chechen police have been taking over more of the security work in the province for the last few years. While corrupt and brutal, the local police are capable of dealing with local gangsters and trouble makers (Islamic radicals and anti-Russian nationalists.) The official end to the war would make it easier for Chechen companies to import and export goods. The Russian Navy announced its intention to resume the use of nuclear warheads for some of its anti-ship missiles (those launched via torpedo tubes by submarines). This would enable these missiles to destroy a group of warships, and to avoid defensive weapons (like Phalanx and SeaRAM). The U.S. and Russia withdrew their tactical nuclear weapons from their navies at the end of the Cold War. Canada and Russia are engaged in a growing dispute over who controls certain Arctic waters, and natural resources that may be present on the seabed beneath. Russia says it is going to set up a special military force to patrol Arctic waters it believes it "owns". Precisely who controls Arctic waters has never been spelled out by international treaty, and the Russians have expressed a determination to define what they own, by themselves, and see who will do what to oppose these claims. March 21, 2009: In Dagestan, three days of fighting in a wooded area, left five policemen and at least a dozen rebels (a combination of gangsters, Islamic radicals and people just angry at the corrupt local government) dead. March 20, 2009: The government admitted that permanent military bases were being established in the former Georgian provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. These two areas have joined Russia, becoming the first Russian territorial annexation since the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991 (and broke up an empire that took four centuries to put together.) March 16, 2009: Two IL-38 maritime reconnaissance aircraft flew over a U.S. aircraft carrier off the South Korean coast. The Russia aircraft were escorted by U.S. Navy carrier fighters, as the IL-38s came in at 500 feet. All this had no military significance, and was mainly a publicity stunt. This is about all the elderly IL-38s are good for these days. The Russian Navy only has about 30 IL-38s, which are roughly equivalent to the American P-3s, but have not had their sensors and communications equipment updated since the Cold War. There is new equipment for the IL-38s, but only export customers, like India, can afford it. March 15, 2009: A Russian Air Force general casually mentioned that Russia might base long range maritime recon aircraft (Tu-142) and bombers (Tu-160) in Cuba and Venezuela. This caused an uproar in the Western hemisphere, with Cuba and Venezuela expressing interest, while there was a less friendly reaction in the United States. But the Russian government soon announced that there was never any intention to build bases in South America, simply to land there and refuel before flying back to northern Russia. Cuba was such a base during the Cold War, but the maritime recon missions were of limited use, because space satellites did the job more efficiently. Making those flights today are PR exercises. March 13, 2009: A third of Russia's 290 Mig-29 jet fighters have passed inspection and allowed to fly again. But 90 of them are grounded because corrosion was discovered. What was most disturbing was that some of the grounded aircraft had only spent a few hundred hours in the air. But these aircraft had also spent years on the ground, because there was no money to buy fuel or spare parts so they could fly. India is not grounding its 70 MiG-29s, mainly because they are better maintained and flown more frequently.

Boeing Holds 'Major Join' Ceremony For 12-Nation Strategic Airlift Capability's 1st C-17

Boeing Holds 'Major Join' Ceremony For 12-Nation Strategic Airlift Capability's 1st C-17

(NSI News Source Info) March 15, 2009: Boeing today marked a key milestone at its C-17 final assembly facility in Long Beach -- the "major join" ceremony for the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) consortium's first C-17 Globemaster III. The unique SAC approach to shared use of the strategic airlifter was hailed as a model for the future acquisition and management of defense capabilities for NATO and European Union (EU) missions. Hungarian Minister of Defense Dr. Imre Szekeres drives the ceremonial rivet at the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) C-17 major join ceremony on March 13. Hungary has agreed to host the Heavy Airlift Wing at Pápa Air Base, where the first SAC C-17 will be based. During major join, the C-17 airlifter's four major sections -- the forward, center and aft fuselages and wing assembly -- are integrated, and the aircraft begins to look like a C-17 for the first time. Hundreds of C-17 employees looked on as senior members of SAC and representatives of the government of the Republic of Hungary, NATO, and Boeing drove ceremonial rivets into the aircraft's fuselage. Hungarian Minister of Defense Dr. Imre Szekeres played a special symbolic role in the ceremony, since Hungary has agreed to both host the Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW) at Pápa Air Base, where a total of three C-17s will be based, and to register the aircraft under the Hungarian flag. "SAC is a great example to see that cooperation and mutual finance strengthen capabilities and efficiency both within NATO and two EU countries outside NATO. It is a model for future cooperation," said Szekeres. "Strategic airlift is critical in responding to today's global challenges," said Peter Flory, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment. "SAC1 represents a big step forward in strengthening our ability to support NATO, EU, United Nations and other military, humanitarian, disaster-relief, and peacekeeping missions around the world." The SAC1 C-17's first flight is set for June, with delivery tentatively scheduled for early July. SAC includes 10 NATO nations -- Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, United States -- and Partnership for Peace members Sweden and Finland. They will share acquisition and operating costs for three C-17s over the nearly 30-year course of the agreement. As chairman of the SAC Steering Board, Brig. Gen. Richard Johnston, U.S. Air Force, shared his thoughts during the ceremony: "No nation today is independent of those around it," he said. "These two Partnership for Peace and 10 NATO nations will succeed in bringing airlift to meet their national needs while working together through unwavering cooperation and partnership." "We have more than 70 airmen and families from the SAC nations working and living in Pápa, and our personnel strength grows each week," said the HAW's first commander, Col. John Zazworsky, U.S. Air Force. "With loadmasters and pilots already in training, we are on course for multinational flight operations as planned this summer." The colonel has been at work at Pápa Air Base since October. "The C-17 is the only tactical aircraft capable of performing all SAC airlift missions, including strategic, tactical, military and humanitarian missions, as well as brigade airdrops, aeromedical evacuations, and landings and takeoffs from standard runways or austere airfields," said Tommy Dunehew, Boeing International C-17 program manager. "SAC's commitment to the C-17 is yet another example of the value the C-17 has to international customers." Acting on behalf of SAC, the NATO Airlift Management Agency (NAMA), led by General Manager Gunnar Borch, signed an agreement with the U.S. government in November for the acquisition of three C-17s, one of which will be provided by the United States. NAMA provides acquisition, financial and human-resources support to the HAW, and has also been active since the fall in bringing this new concept to life.

Estonian Navy Received Third Sandown-Class MCM From U.K. - Report / Third Sandown-Class Mine Hunter Delivered to Estonia

Estonian Navy Received Third Sandown-Class MCM From U.K. - Report / Third Sandown-Class Mine Hunter Delivered to Estonia (NSI News Source Info) January 26, 2009: EML Ugandi, the last of the Sandown-class mine hunters acquired from the United Kingdom, was today delivered to the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Estonia in Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard, Scotland. In a formal ceremony in Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard, the vessel was officially handed over to Mr. Riho Terras, Permanent Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Estonia, by Commodore Charles Stevenson, the Naval Regional Commander for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and a stern flag of the Estonian Navy was hoisted on EML Ugandi. The Sandown class is a class of minehunter originally built for the British Royal Navy (RN). Sandown-class vessels also serve with the Royal Saudi Navy and the Estonian Navy (Merevägi). The first vessel commissioned into RN service on June 9, 1989 and all the British ships are named after coastal towns and cities. These small (53 m) fibreglass vessels are single role mine hunters (SRMH) rather than minesweepers. 12 ships were built for the RN and 3 ships were exported to Saudi Arabia. Three RN vessels were decommissioned following the Strategic Defence Review in 2003; HMS Sandown (January 2005), Inverness (April 2005) and Bridport (July 2004). A further ship, HMS Cromer, was decommissioned and transferred to a training role at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, England in 2001 as Hindostan. The three decommissioned vessels were sold to Estonia in September 2006. They will be re-equipped with TCS (Tactical Control System) and the Atlas Elektronik Seafox ROV for mine disposal. The sonar system will be also be updated. The first ship, delivered in 2007, has been named the Admiral Cowan, the second, delivered in 2008, has been named Sakala and the last is scheduled for February or March 2009. When taking over EML Ugandi, Mr. Terras stated that the event represented an important benchmark in the development of the Estonian Navy, the objective of which is better coping in a contemporary security development. “All three mine hunters, which were acquired, will help to clear Estonia’s territorial waters of mines that were launched during the two world wars, and also offers new opportunities for international joint operations with our NATO allies,” Mr. Terras said. The Permanent Undersecretary reminded those present that the first mine hunter purchased from the United Kingdom, EML Admiral Cowan, sailed in the ranks of the NATO Response Force in the Mediterranean last year, becoming the first vessel of the Estonian Navy to operate so far south. Mr. Terras also thanked the staff of Babcock dockyard and the officers and civil servants of the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom for close co-operation. According to an agreement, concluded with the United Kingdom in September 2006, Estonia bought three Sandown-class mine hunters in total. The total value of the three vessels is 800 million Estonian kroons, which includes the repair and maintenance works of the vessels and the training of the crew members in the United Kingdom. Sandown-class mine hunters use Seafox type underwater robots to detect and destroy mines. Unlike the first two vessels, EML Ugandi is equipped with Klein 5000 series sidescan sonars and a 23 mm cannon. These vessels are among Estonia’s most significant defence procurements since joining NATO and will significantly increase the capability of the Estonian Navy. They will be used for the locating and disposing of sea mines and other ordnance, which were deposited in Estonian’s exclusive economic zone during the two world wars. The vessels will also be used in NATO joint exercises and operations. The special ceremony was attended by the Commander of the Navy, Navy Captain Igor Schvede, and higher officials and army representatives from the Estonian and British defence ministries. The first Sandown-class mine hunter, EML Admiral Cowan, was handed over to Estonia in April 2007 and the second vessel, EML Sakala, in January 2008.