On February 10, 2024, the State Centre for Defence Investments of the Ministry of Defence of Estonia (Riigi Kaitseinvesteeringute Keskus – RKIK) reported that Estonia had received a mobile coastal anti-ship missile system with Blue Spear 5G anti-ship missiles supplied by the Israeli-Singaporean company Proteus Advanced Systems Pte. Ltd. – a joint venture of the Israeli company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Singaporean ST Engineering Land Systems Ltd. Estonia became the first to receive Blue Spear 5G missiles, which are effectively export versions of IAI’s new Israeli Gabriel V (Gabriel 5) anti-ship missile.
RKIK and Proteus Advanced Systems signed a contract to purchase a mobile coastal anti-ship missile system equipped with Blue Spear 5G anti-ship missiles in October 2021. According to Estonian media estimates, the contract is valued at around €100 million.
In reality, the coastal edition of the Blue Spear 5G technology was created expressly for Estonia and tested in Israel. According to photos from Proteus Advanced Systems’ widely circulated promotional video, the system is installed on a Scania 8×8 truck chassis, with all its components disguised as commercial vans. The launcher is designed to lift four containers. According to reports, the Estonian company Pro Lift OÜ completed the immediate installation of system elements on the Scania 8×8 chassis.
The mobile coastal anti-ship missile system with Blue Spear 5G missiles has been integrated into the Estonian Navy’s newly formed coastal missile division, which includes around 100 soldiers, some of whom have already received training (probably in Israel). Representatives of the Estonian Navy have announced that the deployment of Blue Spear 5G missiles in a ship-based form is being investigated. The Blue Spear 5G missiles have a reported range of 290 km (per MTCR restrictions) and can target maritime and immobile land-based targets. According to numerous reports, the Gabriel V / Blue Spear 5G has an actual range of 400 kilometres in a high-altitude flying profile. Thus, with the procurement of the missile system and Blue Spear 5G missiles, Estonia gains the potential to hit targets at operational-tactical distances.
The Proteus Advanced Systems joint venture was formed in the summer of 2020 to produce and implement Gabriel V missiles under the Blue Spear brand jointly, with the initial target being the Singaporean Navy and other Southeast Asian countries. According to reports, Singaporean ST Engineering Land Systems would manufacture the missile’s warhead and solid-fuel rocket motor as part of this cooperative venture. In December 2023, the Singapore Ministry of Defence granted Proteus Advanced Systems a contract to deliver Blue Spear 5G missiles to replace American Harpoon missiles on six Formidable-class frigates in the Singapore Navy’s forthcoming mid-life refit and modernisation. IAI has been serially producing the original Gabriel V missiles since 2018, and the Israeli Navy and Finland have both purchased them.
The Blue Spear 5G missile weighs 1250 kg at launch, has a 150 kg warhead, is 5.5 m long, has a turbojet engine, and travels at “high supersonic” speeds. The control system consists of an active radar homing head, an inertial-satellite guidance system, and a two-way datalink that enables missile guidance in flight and retargeting.
