A new air-surveillance radar post began operating on Estonia’s Hiiumaa Island on July 24. The facility was built in the western part of the island, near the Kõpu Lighthouse.

The site is equipped with a French Ground Master radar designed to strengthen monitoring of the western and northwestern approaches. It can detect airborne targets at distances of up to 515 kilometres and altitudes of up to 30 kilometres.

Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said the system would expand the country’s ability to monitor its airspace and respond more quickly to potential threats. Rauno Leskov, commander of the Air Surveillance Division, added that the post would reinforce Estonia’s national defence and be integrated into NATO’s wider air-defence network.

Ground Master radars are produced by the French company Thales. Similar systems are already in service in Finland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Serbia and Slovenia, and are gradually being incorporated into NATO’s unified surveillance structure, including along the alliance’s eastern flank.

Estonian officials have made clear that the new station is intended not only to monitor the country’s own airspace, but also to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank near the Russian border.