Estonia should consider acquiring light fighter jets to counter Russia's increasingly fast and sophisticated long-range attack drones, Defense Minister Martin Herem told Postimees in an interview.
Speaking to Postimees after visiting Ukraine, Herem said Estonia must improve its air surveillance, command systems and multilayered air defenses, including machine guns, cannons, interceptor drones and potentially aircraft. He suggested that Estonia could explore arming its existing L-39 training aircraft with machine guns or small cannons, emphasizing that the aim would be to intercept drones rather than engage enemy fighter jets.
According to Herem, Ukraine's interception rate for Russian Shahed-type long-range drones has fallen from approximately 90 percent to 70 percent, significantly increasing the damage caused by Russian attacks.
The minister said Estonia should strengthen military cooperation with Ukraine by systematically collecting battlefield data, purchasing Ukrainian-made equipment and exploring joint defense production. Priority areas include electronic warfare, air defense, surveillance systems, drones and digital command-and-control capabilities.
Herem warned that Russia's defense industry shows no signs of slowing down despite economic difficulties and could continue expanding even if the war ends.
During a roughly 30-minute meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Herem learned that Ukraine's most pressing air defense problem is a shortage of interceptors capable of destroying Russian ballistic missiles. He also stressed the importance of protecting critical infrastructure and providing adequate shelters for civilians, drawing on Ukraine's experience of surviving Russian attacks.
Herem warned that advances in drone warfare mean Estonia must prepare for a conflict in which the entire country could become an operational zone, with no safe rear areas.
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