Milrem LCM will maintain Estonian Defense Forces’ new automatic firearms

Estonian defence company Milrem LCM will maintain the new automatic firearms for the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) under the contract signed on 1 July 2019 by the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments and the US arms manufacturer LMT Defense (Lewis Machine and Tool Company). The volume of the contract is EUR 75 million. The size of the first purchase is 16,000 firearms. Milrem LCM is the official partner of LMT to manage the life cycle of rifles in Estonia.

Milrem LCM, the company for military vehicles and weapon systems life cycle management, has opened a new line of business. "Professional care of rifles in Estonia will ensure their availability and reliability and will bring industrial capabilities that are important to Estonia. We can take advantage of our long-term experience in the maintenance and repair of military armored vehicles and other military vehicles to manage the life cycle of rifles," said Ingvar Pärnamäe, Managing Director of Milrem LCM.

"A recent law amendment that allows arms and ammunition to be handled outside the premises of the EDF, provided a legal basis for the development of the Estonian defence industry," said Pärnamäe and added that the increase in the know-how of Estonian defence companies is an important security guarantee for Estonia and increases the autonomy of EDF, Estonian Police and Border Guard and other government agencies in times of crisis or war situations.

According to Pärnamäe, for the first time in Estonia, the maintenance and repair of a major military equipment has been contractually divided between EDF, Milrem LCM or the original equipment manufacturer (LMT). “According to the contract, the basic level works will be done by EDF, with Milrem LCM providing on top of that everything else with the exception of the most complex work, which will be carried out in the manufacturer's factory in the USA, if necessary”, said Pärnamäe.

Milrem LCM is a subsidiary of Patria Group and a part of its International Support Partnerships business unit. Patria owns 60% of Milrem LCM and 40% is owned by Mootor Grupp. Milrem LCM provides services for the defence and security sector offering life cycle support services for heavy and armored vehicles, weapon systems and other military equipment. The company provides maintenance and repair works for the Estonian Defence Forces' XA-180, XA-188 and CV90 as well as other military vehicles in Tallinn, Võru and Tapa.

Photo available at Patria Materialbank.

Further information:

Ingvar Pärnamäe, Managing Director, Milrem LCM, Estonia, tel. +372 5342 3016, [email protected]