The complex, which uses French tech and will interface with NATO member state Finland's radar network, is located atop a spoil heap in the village of Kalina in Ida-Viru County, and will have a lifespan of around 30 years.

The state-of-the-art system gives Estonia and NATO an even better overview of airspace activity than they previously had, with a detection range of over 500 kilometers.

The new radar improves Estonia's overall detection capability, especially in the northeast. "The radar is integrated into the NATO system, and Finland also benefits from it just as we benefit from Finnish radars," Estonian Air Force Commander Brig. Gen. Riivo Valge said on Tuesday, following an opening ceremony.

Its procurement, along with another facility in Kõpu, on Hiiumaa, was a solution to the wind turbine height restrictions which older stations brought.

"None of the radar locations were chosen solely by the Ministry of Defense, we have made compromises. We have looked at the overall picture to leave room for economic activity, while ensuring that defense investments yield the greatest possible benefit," Valge said.

The base's location and the fact it is illuminated after dark means the station can be seen from miles around.

There is a practical need for this, said Maj. Tõnis Pärn, head of the Air Force's air surveillance division. "We must know what is happening around the perimeter, to see who is moving here even at night. Otherwise unwanted visitors could sneak in. We illuminate the site for security reasons."

Estonia signed a procurement contract with French company Thales Group in summer 2023, to purchase two new Ground Master (GM) 400 series radar — the upgraded GM400 Alpha version.

Its scope depends on the horizon, "which is why we install them higher up," Pärn went on, adding: "It provides a very good view over Peipsi järv and the surrounding areas. This location is ideal for using the radar both to the north and northeast."

The facility also meets the increasing need to account for objects flying at low altitudes and often moving quickly. "Air surveillance is not complete for either Estonia or NATO. The lower layer of airspace, from ground level up to five kilometers, is increasingly full of various flying devices. This means we must produce more and more local air pictures. The procurement program for mobile radars is ongoing in the Defense Forces, the Ministry of the Interior and across the NATO bloc," Valge said.

The facility came online a year later than scheduled, which Pärn said was partly the result of delays from the pandemic — the whole procurement process lasted seven years — and delayed deliveries. "It is a very complex system, but we managed to get it into full working order by November," Pärn went on, noting the station will have an operating lifespan of 30 years, with only updates needed in the meantime.

Two radars operate at the Viru station: a secondary radar that sends a constant signal to aircraft, which respond with their location, and a primary radar. The primary radar detects aircraft even if their transponders are turned off.

A radar complex like the Viru post will be launched on Hiiumaa next year, bringing Estonia's total to four radar posts. Older GM 400 variants were set up on Muhu, an island next to Saaremaa, in 2013, and in Tõikamäe, Valga County, in 2015. These latter two facilities will receive updates similar to the Viru radar within the next couple of years, meaning that by 2027 all four radar will be identical, Pärn noted. Once the Kõpu project is finished on Hiiumaa, Estonia's large surveillance radar capabilities will be complete.

Pärn said the GM 400 radars pose no hazard to nearby residents, likening them to microwave ovens, which also operate on radiomagnetic waves.

"A microwave warms food inside its own enclosure and is not dangerous to people. The only place you shouldn't be is in the immediate vicinity of the operating antenna," Pärn said.

The €30-million procurement and construction costs were funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.

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