Estonia lends disproportionate military aid to Ukraine, reinforcing defence with advanced anti-tank technology

Estonia has already provided aid to Ukraine to the value of £67 million, an impressive 0.25% of its GDP. Considering their resources, this is a substantial commitment. Reflecting its strained historical ties with Russia, like many other nations in the region, Estonia earnestly supports Ukraine while boosting its defence capabilities. Recently, plans were announced by the local authorities to establish a fortified barrier along the Russian border.

The FGM-148 Javelin, designed in the 1990s, is an advanced anti-tank system. Its distinguishing feature lies in its "fire and forget" capability. This means that direct guidance to the target is unnecessary once the shooter launches the missile. Instead, the shooter can swiftly change position. This greatly simplifies the task for the shooter and eliminates numerous variables that could impact shooting accuracy. Furthermore, such functionality markedly enhances the safety of system operation.

Earlier generation anti-tank systems, such as the Milan or the RBS-56B BILL 2, require the shooter to guide the missile until it continuously hits the target. This implies the shooter must maintain constant visual contact with the target. Most anti-tank missiles travel roughly 200 metres per second, giving the shooter around 10 seconds to react when the target is about 2 kilometres away. Also, many contemporary tanks have a launch detection system, which is noticeable in thermal imagery. All these factors allow the target to fire at the launcher's position.

Even a stray shot or the mere act of pointing the barrel towards the launcher can potentially cause panic among the guided anti-tank missile crew. This often results in missing the target. In contrast, with a "fire and forget" system like the FGM-148 Javelin, the shooter can change their position immediately after launching the missile. The system's lightweight, a mere 22 kg, makes it easily transportable.

The advanced guidance head of the FGM-148 Javelin, equipped with a fourth-generation infrared sensor, operates by detecting the thermal image of the target rather than a heat point. The sensor tracks the thermal signature of the tank. However, with older versions of the Javelin system, cooling the sensor before firing requires a brief delay.

This enables precise guidance of the powerful tandem-shaped charge warhead and allows for top-down targeting with a diving flight. Consequently, its fantastic penetration capability renders any roof layers made of Kontakt-1 reactive armour blocks, which the Russians heavily utilise, ineffective.

However, it's important to mention that the Javelin missile guidance system isn't flawless. There are methods to mitigate its effectiveness, such as reducing the thermal signature of the tank. The Russians have devised some tactics to decrease the effectiveness of the Javelin system.

Nevertheless, it's important to note that these refer to older missile versions from the 1990s and early 2000s, which had a range of about 2.5 km. The recent models, endowed with a range of approximately 4.75 km and better sensors, are less prone to these defensive tactics.