September
10, 2008: Estonia selected the French
Mistral portable surface-to-air missile system, instead of the U.S. Stinger.
The 41 pound Mistral has a max range of 6.5 kilometers and a maximum altitude
of 3,000 meters. The Mistral is a fire and forget system that uses a heat
seeking sensor to home in on helicopters and jet aircraft. The 5.8 foot long
missile is designed to be fired from vehicles, aircraft and ships. It's not as
portable as the Stinger and the Russian SA-7 (and more recent models), as it
uses a 40 pound launcher (that puts the operator in a swivel seat). But the
Mistral has proved to be very reliable, and can be left on standby (ready for
instant use) for long periods of time. Over 1,500 Mistrals have been fired in
training and tests, with a 93 percent success rate.
