Latvia plans to acquire Stinger surface-to-air missile systems from U.S. 20408151

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Defence & Security News - Latvia
 
 
Latvia plans to acquire Stinger surface-to-air missile systems from U.S.
Latvia will purchase Stinger surface-to-air missiles from the United States, Commander of the Latvian Armed Forces Raimonds Graube announced Friday July 31, amid concern in the ex-Soviet Baltic state over Russia's sabre-rattling in the region.
     
Latvia plans to acquire Stinger surface to air missile systems from 640 001US Marine Corps troops firing a FIM-92 Stinger surface-to-air missile
     
"A decision was taken to buy the Stinger missile system," Latvian chief of defence Lieutenant General Raimonds Graube said on public television.
 

He added that the total cost and number of missiles would be decided after the EU and NATO member agrees next year's budget, which is likely to happen in October.

He said the Stingers would likely be kept at the Adazi military base near capital Riga - the same base due to host heavy US weaponry starting later this year as part of a reinforcement of Baltic defenses announced last month.

Baltic nations have been watching Russia warily since it annexed Ukraine's Crimea in March last year.

Latvia has been a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since 2004. The military alliance currently conducts air policing missions from bases in Lithuania.

The Latvian government has begun increasing defense spending in response to what NATO perceives as a Russian military threat since 2014.

The FIM-92 Stinger is a personal portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM), which can be adapted to fire from ground vehicles or helicopters (as an AAM), developed in the United States and entered into service in 1981.