The facility will be the only drone training center of its kind both in Estonia, and in the surrounding region, ETV news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

Its cornerstone has already been laid, adjacent to the Nurmsi Airfield, near Paide.

The airfield is operated by the Defense League's (Kaitseliit) Järva County district, and has in recent years been the scene of large-scale airborne drops conducted by allied nations as well as the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) and Defense League.

The drone training center, which will be available to EDF, Defense League and NATO allies alike, is due to be completed by year-end.

Lt Col. Kuido Pettai, commander of the Järva County defense district, told AK: "We have agreed on usage; if neither allied nor EDF personnel are directly here conducting their own training, we can equally use the facility."

The center will include accommodation and lecture rooms as well as other facilities needed to support drone training.

 Peeter Karja, portfolio manager of the southern district of the Defense Investment Center South (KIK) added that another key requirement was an adequate airfield runway, which Nurmsi offers. It also ticks the boxes on another indicator, namely that UAVs can be flown in areas away from dense population centers, he said.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!