NATO Nation Bordering Russia Boosts HIMARS Arsenal

By Ellie Cook

Senior Defense Reporter

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Estonia will buy six new U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Systems (HIMARS) as European members of NATO rush to build up their military arsenals, including stocks of artillery systems used by Ukrainian soldiers against Russian forces.

Why It Matters

Ukraine has made extensive use of U.S.-delivered systems like HIMARS since they were first supplied to the war-torn country in summer 2022, after months of debate among Kyiv's allies over whether sending long-range artillery systems would escalate the conflict with Russia. Kyiv lauded the HIMARS, which gave Ukrainian forces the ability to hit valuable targets like Russian command posts from much further away.

Moscow's invasion of its neighbor prompted the previously non-aligned countries of Finland and Sweden to join NATO. As President Donald Trump then returned to the White House at the start of 2025, European countries scrambled to boost defense spending after decades of reliance on a U.S. that clearly telegraphed its intention to swivel away from the continent.

The Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, along with Poland, have stormed ahead in refilling their shelves with defense equipment, feeling Russia's presence more keenly than NATO members not on the alliance's eastern flank. Western intelligence assessments say the countries would be a likely first target for the Kremlin, if Russia chose to launch an armed attack on NATO.

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What To Know

Estonia's Defense Ministry said the country, which shares a roughly 200-mile border with Russia, needed to beef up its ability to strike deep into enemy territory with more rocket launchers.

The Baltic country is still waiting for confirmation on delivery dates for the artillery systems, Estonia's government told Business Insider.

Tallinn's Defense Minister, Hanno Pevkur, said the country was open to buying more than six extra systems from the U.S. and that officials had been in touch with Lockheed Martin, which produces HIMARS.

The defense giant said it required approval from the Pentagon to sell HIMARS abroad, Pevkur told the Breaking Defense outlet.

The U.S. can sell military equipment to foreign militaries under its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The U.S. secretary of state approves which individual nations can receive kit, and the secretary of defense then oversees the sale, but the decision to export ultimately rests with the president.

Estonia received its first HIMARS in April this year, weeks after the first long-range artillery systems were delivered to Australia. The second batch could be sent to Estonia in 2028.

Lithuania signed a deal to buy eight HIMARS in late 2022, and Latvia agreed to purchase six in December 2023.

Ukraine has repeatedly shared footage it says shows HIMARS in action against Russian assets, including electronic warfare systems and air defenses.

HIMARS can fire different types of ammunition, including Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles. These ground-launched ballistic missiles have a range just shy of 200 miles, and Kyiv first started receiving versions in 2023.

Ukraine was restricted from using the ballistic missiles outside of the country until former President Joe Biden's administration greenlit Kyiv to target sites inside Russia in November 2024. Kyiv used ATACMS to fire on the southwestern Russian city of Voronezh earlier this month.

What People Are Saying

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's former top soldier and current Ukrainian ambassador to the U.K., said in 2022 that HIMARS had already "proven to be effective on the front."

“In the current complicated security situation, strengthening our deterrence and defense posture is one of Estonia’s most important priorities," Estonian Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, said as the country's first HIMARS were delivered to NATO's eastern flank in April 2025. "With the arrival of the HIMARS, an important capability gap will be closed and Estonia’s defense capability will be strengthened."