French NATO forces in Estonia hold 'Missile Day' to showcase live-fire power
French soldiers deployed to Estonia put on a display of live-fire and practiced an anti-tank ambush with the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF), as part of their training last week.
The French contribution to the NATO multinational battalion in Estonia organized a new edition of "Missile Day" at the Tapa base, to test out the skills of the infantry company's support sections and the cavalry platoon.
The soldiers were tasked with the mission to destroy a tank platoon, while over 300 military personnel were on November 25 mobilized to participate.
The exercise involved the firing of Medium-Range Missiles (MMP), wire-guided anti-tank ERYX missile launchers, smoke mortar fire, sniper actions, and the deployment of a rapid reaction force with AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicle.
"The exercise allows soldiers to familiarize themselves with the terrain and to experiment with new modes of action, such as the deployment of semi-buried mortars," a press release from the French contingent in the NATO multinational battlegroup stated.
"They also strengthen the operational capabilities of French and Estonian forces, while illustrating the close cooperation between the two nations within the alliance."
France has deployed forces to the NATO battalion in the Baltic states since 2017. There are currently around 300 personnel stationed in Estonia as part of the British-led Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) battlegroup, under the command of the EDF's 1st Brigade.
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Editor: Helen Wright, Andrew Whyte
