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Tuesday, 19.03.2024, 14:28
Military from 8 countries to take part in military parade in Tallinn
Members of the defense forces of eight countries are set to take part in the military parade to be held in Tallinn on the occasion of the 99th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Estonia on Feb. 24.
Units will line up on Vabaduse (Freedom) Square in Tallinn at 11:20 a.m. The parade will be led by the commander of the Estonian defense forces, Gen. Riho Terras, and reviewed by President Kersti Kaljulaid.
Forty-one flags, five companies, four batteries, 22 platoons and three orchestras will take part in the parade - altogether more than a thousand personnel and more than a hundred pieces of equipment. The three orchestras to take part are the orchestra of the Estonian defense forces, the orchestra of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board and an orchestra of the U.S. Air Force.
All branches of the armed forces will be represented, including the 1st and the 2nd infantry brigades, the National Defense College, the Baltic Defense College, and cadets of the Academy of Security Sciences.
For the first time ever, the Scouts Battalion will take part in the parade with CV9035 infantry fighting vehicles and the Viru Infantry Battalion with Sisu XA-188 armored personnel carriers. The reconnaissance company of the 1st Infantry Brigade will take part in the military parade also for the first time.
A platoon size unit with two Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and two M1A2 Abrams tanks will be provided by the U.S. contingent currently stationed in Estonia. In addition a platoon size unit will be provided by the United Kingdom, as well as teams of color guards by Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Denmark.
Weather permitting, Estonian and allied flying craft will perform a flyover. The craft to perform the flyover are four R-44 Robinson helicopters of the Estonian air force flying in diamond formation, an AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter of the Police and Border Guard Board, an AWACS E-3A aircraft of the NATO early warning system and two German Eurofighter jets accompanying it, as well as two Dutch F-16 fighter jets.
After the parade Estonian and allied military will display their equipment to the public. This year, the equipment on display will include CV9035 infantry fighting vehicles that were first introduced in the Estonian armed forces in 2016, a U.S. Abrams tank and a Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, Sisu XA-188 armored personnel carriers, 155 and 122 mm howitzers, a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun, a Mistral anti-aircraft missile complex, Milan and Javelin anti-tank guns, a 120 mm mortar and a Ground Master 403 mobile air surveillance radar.