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Estonia Ready to Host NATO F-35 Fighter Jets Capable of Carrying Nuclear Weapons

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Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko
Dariia Mykhailenko
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Estonia Ready to Host NATO F-35 Fighter Jets Capable of Carrying Nuclear Weapons
US Air Force F-35A performs during an exhibition flight demonstration as part of the 55th edition of the International Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris, France on June 19, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)

Estonia is ready to host allied fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons, said the country’s Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur.

The statement was made following the United Kingdom’s decision to purchase 12 F-35A multirole fighter jets from the United States, which can carry both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons, according to ERR radio news on June 27.

According to Pevkur, F-35s have already been deployed in Estonia as part of NATO’s rotational air policing mission — and that cooperation will continue.

"F-35s have already been in Estonia and will return again soon as part of the rotation. We are ready to continue hosting allied forces, including those using such platforms," the minister noted.

Earlier, Estonia started building the first section of the Baltic Defense Line—a fortified barrier along its border with Russia, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on June 19.

By fall 2025, the Estonian Defense Forces, in cooperation with the National Centre for Defense Investments, plan to construct up to 28 bunkers, 10 storage facilities, and lay about four kilometers of anti-tank ditches. The details were shared by Armin Siilivask, a representative of the Estonian Nuclear Energy Institute overseeing the project.

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