An official ceremony was held on March 26 on Muhu Island in Estonia to mark the entry into service of the first Ground Master 400 (GM 400) long-range air defence radar system supplied by Thales Raytheon Systems to the Estonian armed forces. The ceremony was presided by Estonia’s Defence Minister Urmas Reinsalu.

The system is the first of two radar systems ordered by the Estonian Air Force and is one of 14 radars of the same type ordered jointly by Finland and Estonia. The GM 400 is designed for both fixed-site operation under a radome at the Muhu base and for rapid deployment in the field. In a tactical, truck-mounted configuration with an independent power supply, it can be deployed in the field in less than two hours.

This GM 400 will be connected to the NATO network and can be interconnected with all the other air defense radars deployed across Europe. It will bring Estonia superior detection performance at low and high altitudes, higher availability and simplified maintenance.

“The entry into service of the Ground Master 400 is an important milestone in our air defence programme. We look forward to the operational benefits of this new radar,” said Ingvar Pärnamäe, Undersecretary for Defence Investments of the Estonian Ministry of Defence.

“We are delighted that the GM 400 radar is now supporting Estonia’s important role in the NATO air defence infrastructure. The new radar system will bring the country an operational long-range air surveillance capability and improved detection performance against a broad array of modern threats,” said Philippe Duhamel, CEO of Thales Raytheon Systems SAS.