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Estonia has announced plans to acquire multiple concrete bunkers in an effort to fortify its borders with Russia and Belarus.

Getting into it: In a notice published in Estonia’s public procurement register, the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI/RKIK) formally launched a competitive negotiated contract seeking manufacturers capable of producing and delivering up to 600 modular concrete bunkers. The procurement process invites qualified companies to submit bids to manufacture the structures in large quantities and transport them to designated areas along the planned Baltic Defence Line. Officials have structured the contract to allow for scalable production, with the potential to lower overall costs if bulk orders are secured.

The bunkers themselves are prefabricated, designed for rapid deployment and standardized assembly. Built to be transported in sections and installed efficiently in forward positions, they are engineered to provide hardened protection against artillery and small arms fire while accommodating approximately 15 personnel. Their modular design allows for flexibility in placement, easier logistical handling, and integration into broader defensive systems that include anti-tank ditches, trench networks, barbed wire obstacles, and other counter-mobility barriers.

The procurement is part of the broader Baltic Defence Line project, an initiative aimed at ensuring immediate territorial defense from the first meter of Estonia’s national border. Estonia has allocated approximately $70 million to the effort, with around half earmarked for immediate implementation.

Individual bunkers are estimated to cost about $60,000 each, though officials have indicated that large-scale procurement and potential joint purchasing arrangements could reduce the per-unit price through economies of scale.