FACT CHECK | Could Estonia have bought 615 HIMARS with the „stolen“ money?

It is claimed on social media that the HIMARS multiple rocket launchers arriving in Estonia from the USA cost approximately 5.2 million dollars per unit. Politicians are allegedly pocketing large sums of money. What is the truth? What was the actual HIMARS procurement contract, and who paid for it?„3.2 billion vanished from the state treasury in 2024, i.e., three thousand two hundred million. The news cheered about the arrival of 6 HIMARS. Pevkur was asked how much a HIMARS costs. Lots of vague answers about systems, etc., but the response was that the price per machine is several hundred million. I asked Google, and Wiki gives the price as about 4.7 million per unit. Add about 500 thousand for transport, i.e., 1 machine costs 5.2 million in total. Now if we divide the stolen 3.2 billion by 5.2 million, we get 615 HIMARS,“ wrote Facebook user Kalmer Johanson on April 30.„Ok – there are always systems and I can’t be bothered with number magic. This is just an example of how the biggest threat to our country is corruption, lies, theft, and deception. (…) I’m just saying this is the reason why war is so beneficial to rulers/decision-makers. Everything can be decorated with the veil of war secrecy and during wartime, zeros are no longer just numbers,“ Johanson added.According to Facebook, the post has been shared 278 times.Facts The Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (RKIK) signed a contract for the procurement of HIMARS with the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) in December 2022.The total cost of the transaction was 223 million dollars, including VAT, of which the USA paid 140 million dollars.The procurement contract included not only HIMARS launchers, but also communications solutions, training and logistics services, and more.The 3.2 billion euros mentioned in the post likely originates from a National Audit Office report, which stated that in 2023, approximately 3.2 billion euros were allocated from the state budget for domestic subsidies, and the allocation process lacked sufficient transparency. However, this has nothing to do with the HIMARS purchase.RKIK signed the procurement contract with the U.S. DSCA in December 2022. The HIMARS weapon systems were purchased from the USA, with Lockheed Martin as the manufacturer.Forte wrote in 2022 that the total cost of the deal was 223 million dollars, including VAT, of which the USA covered 140 million dollars. Thus, Estonia’s share of the cost is 83 million dollars.According to RKIK’s communications chief Andri Maimets, these amounts have not changed.The U.S. funding for the HIMARS systems is part of a broader security assistance package aimed at strengthening NATO’s eastern flank, according to an RKIK press release.RKIK stated that U.S. security assistance for Estonia-related defense projects tripled from 2022 to 2024 compared to the previous three years, increasing from about 122 million to 430 million dollars.The procurement contract signed in 2022 included „HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, ammunition, rockets with varying ranges, communication solutions, training, logistics, and lifecycle support solutions. Unit prices are not subject to disclosure,“ Maimets commented to Faktikontroll.The post author also mentions „3.2 billion euros vanished“ or „stolen money“ from the state treasury in 2024. He then divides this amount by the alleged price of one HIMARS unit—5.2 million euros.The 3.2 billion euros is the figure cited in the National Audit Office’s 2023 state budget law audit. According to the audit, about 3.2 billion euros were granted as domestic subsidies in 2023. The Audit Office noted that the explanatory memorandum of the budget law did not clarify in which areas, why, and on what basis the subsidies were planned to be allocated.„In the appendix to the explanatory memorandum concerning subsidies, only partial information about the legal entities receiving subsidies is disclosed, and this does not match the information in other sections of the memorandum. According to the Audit Office’s analysis, nearly four times the amount listed in Appendix 3 was actually granted in domestic subsidies,“ states the National Audit Office’s September 2024 press release.The approximately 3.2 billion euros given in domestic subsidies have no connection to the HIMARS procurement contract. The actual total cost of the contract was 223 million dollars, most of which was paid by the USA.There is also no evidence that the 3.2 billion euros were stolen. No proof of the alleged corruption has been presented. The National Audit Office concluded in its audit that „domestic subsidies should be allocated more transparently and their use should be more frequently checked for appropriateness.“Although Faktikontroll cannot verify the cost of a single HIMARS unit in the 2022 contract, it is misleading to claim that the government could have bought 615 HIMARS with the „stolen“ 3.2 billion euros. The contract includes more than just the weapon systems, and most of the cost was covered by the USA. Also, the 3.2 billion euros is unrelated to the HIMARS purchase, and there is no evidence that it was stolen.Verdict: Misleading. The claim that Estonia could have bought 615 HIMARS with 3.2 billion euros is based on a misleading calculation that ignores the actual content of the procurement contract and its funding sources. The HIMARS procurement included training, logistics, and other infrastructure, most of which was funded by the USA. The 3.2 billion euros have no connection to the HIMARS procurement, and there is no evidence that it was stolen.