US Delivers 128 Anti-Tank Javelin Missiles to Estonia

FILE - A U.S. Army soldier trains on a Javelin anti-tank missile at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Dec. 5, 2019.

The United States says it has delivered 128 anti-tank Javelin missiles to Estonia as part of a larger contract with the Baltic NATO member and the U.S. Department of Defense.

The U.S. Embassy in Tallinn said in a statement on Thursday that "the shipment will continue to build upon Estonia’s defensive capabilities and further strengthens our nations’ strategic integration" within NATO, of which Estonia has been a member since 2004.

Washington has provided Estonia, a staunch military ally, with over $100 million in joint defense cooperation over the past few years, the U.S. Embassy said.

The FGM-148 Javelin is an infrared-guided anti-tank missile that can be carried and launched by a single person. It is manufactured by a joint venture between Raytheon Company and Lockheed Martin Corp.

In December, the Estonian defense ministry said the United States has allocated $175 million in military aid to the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for 2020.

The three countries are all NATO members and all of them border Russia.