The Russian invasion and war in Ukraine has worried Eastern European states that border it, fearing a spread of the war from Moscow. It is no coincidence that Finland and Sweden abandoned their neutrality and quickly asked to come under the umbrella of NATO protection, with the former already being a member of the Alliance and the latter awaiting the approval of Turkey-Hungary.
The weak point of the Baltic countries and their turn to armaments due to the Russian threat
The Baltic NATO countries are particularly worried, which realize that in the event of a simultaneous attack by Russian forces from Kaliningrad and Belarus, they risk being completely cut off from Poland, after the occupation of the Suwalki corridor, which is Europe’s “Achilles heel” against of Russia.
As a result, the Baltic states continue to arm themselves heavily, with Lithuania increasingly relying on Bundeswehr soldiers rather than its own army, Estonia buying dozens of American multiple launch missile systems and kamikaze drones, and Latvia to be concerned about the protection of its maritime coastline by expressing a desire to purchase coastal anti-ship missile systems.
Latvia’s selection of anti-ship missiles
“The Ministry of Defense of Latvia received several proposals from potential suppliers, but in the end, quite predictably, settled on products jointly produced by the American company Raytheon Technologies and the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace,” Russian media points out, reporting:
“In December 2022, the final choice was made in favor of the NSM CDS (Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defense System).
After that, all that remained was to get approval for the deal from the US State Department, which followed in May 2023. At the same time, the cost of the contract was announced, which was $ 110 million, which after some time was adjusted down by five million.
But even after that, Latvia would never have found the funds supposedly needed for defense without foreign aid.
The Americans came as saviors and agreed to give the insolvent buyer a loan in the amount of 70% of the said amount, on the condition that the Latvians would push themselves and pay the remaining 30%.
The other day, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds and US Ambassador Christopher Robbins announced with satisfaction that all the necessary bureaucratic procedures had been completed. As agreed, deliveries will begin in 2027.
The package will include tactical, telemetry and training missiles, mobile operating platforms for them, equipment, spare parts, as well as special equipment for ammunition.
Although the US-Norwegian ballistic missile system is nothing special it is still a pretty dangerous weapon.
The Naval Strike Missile (NSM)
The NSM is a fifth-generation, low-flying, high-precision surface-to-surface missile capable of bypassing obstacles while approaching the target, performing anti-aircraft maneuvers protected by electronic countermeasures, which complicates its interception by air defense systems.
It develops a speed of Mach 0.9 (from 858 to 1103 km/h) and is equipped with a 120 kg warhead in a titanium case. The estimated range of destruction of surface and ground targets is up to 185 kilometers.
According to some reports, when flying at high altitude without maneuvering, the NSM can fly up to 550 kilometers.
Before Latvia, similar coastal systems, apart from the USA itself and Norway, were acquired only in Europe by Poland, Romania, Great Britain and Germany.
In addition, the Poles are reportedly already negotiating the purchase of a new large batch of ballistic missile launchers with NSM missiles for more than $720 million.
But apart from the pure commercial benefits, the North Atlantic Alliance, by equipping Latvia with these anti-ship systems, is actually seeking to turn the Baltic Sea into its lake.
And it makes sense to connect the NSM CDS agreement with the recent statement by the Ministry of Defense of Estonia regarding its intention to have its country stop and inspect ships outside its territorial waters.
There is no doubt that Latvia and Lithuania will willingly sign the draft law that is being prepared. However, the Latvian-Estonian-Lithuanian Navy is extremely weak compared to the Russian one.
The instinct of self-preservation in Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius has long been lost, and Washington, at the first opportunity, will without hesitation assign the three Baltic countries the role of the next victims, right after the Ukrainians.
The “geo-blocked” Russian fleet in the Black Sea and the Baltic will be completely destroyed
The destruction of the Russian landing ship Novocherkassk by cruise missiles of Ukrainian aircraft shows that the Russian fleet is expected to suffer even more significant blows and destruction after the arrival of the F-16s in Ukraine.
Russia’s Baltic fleet, which is literally trapped in narrow sea passages controlled by NATO countries with anti-ship missiles, navies (Poland-Finland-Sweden) and fighter jets, will have a worse fate.
