Latvia’s $134M missile buy expected to bolster anti-tank capability

WARSAW, Poland — Latvia’s Ministry of Defence has signed a deal worth €108 million (U.S. $134 million) to purchase Spike missiles from EuroSpike GmbH.

“The Spike family consists of 4th and 5th generation electro-optical missile systems, providing high precision and high lethality against various targets, including advanced [main battle tanks],” Guy Shilo, a spokesperson for Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, said in a statement.

EuroSpike is a joint venture between Germany’s Diehl BGT Defence, and Rheinmetall Defence Electronics and Israel’s Rafael.

The acquisition is expected to boost Latvia’s anti-tank capability. The missiles will also be installed on the secondhand CVR(T) vehicles the country purchased from the U.K., according to the Latvian ministry.

Under the plan, the missile systems will be gradually integrated with Latvia’s military units by 2023.

Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine and the subsequent annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula by Russia in 2014 has pushed the Baltic states to intensify their efforts in expandiing combat capacities.

The Latvian ministry says the country’s defense expenditure for 2018 is to reach some €576.34 million, an increase of €126.8 million compared with a year earlier.

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