Ivar Värk: Before buying new helicopters, we should consider what we need them for

In recent weeks, Estonia has debated the future of its aviation capability. A proposed investment of around €250 million would renew and expand the Police and Border Guard Board's helicopter fleet to five helicopters plus an additional surveillance aircraft. Goals include better rescue, medical help, border security, and NATO obligations. Ivar Värk, former head of the PPA's Air Unit, says the goal is worthy, but asks whether five new helicopters are the right answer.

Värk notes that the existing AW139 helicopters are capable, but their availability is low and maintenance times are long. He argues the main problem is the system, not the machines. Public procurement and procedural rules make maintenance slower than in the private sector, and when extra work or parts are needed, new approvals and procurements follow. A helicopter can therefore sit in maintenance for months, sometimes over a year — as Interior Minister Igor Taro has acknowledged. Värk questions why the proposed solution is buying more machines instead of changing the maintenance system.

Drawing on his experience with medical helicopters in the United Kingdom, Värk says a 1,200-hour maintenance there typically took about two weeks, not months. He suggests analyzing whether bottlenecks lie in equipment or processes before ordering new aircraft.

He also asks whether the state must provide every aviation service itself. The same system is currently used for maritime search and rescue, medical flights, border surveillance, special-operations support and crisis response. In his view, each job needs the right tool. Most European countries have specialized HEMS systems for medical flights. Estonia's Estonian Air Ambulance has long argued that a rescue helicopter and an air ambulance are not the same thing.

Värk also points to broader trends: Estonia's population is aging and healthcare is becoming more centralized, so fast patient transport will become even more important. Yet basic infrastructure is still unresolved — both the North Estonia Medical Centre and Tartu University Hospital have planned helipads for years, but procurement delays and rising costs have shifted priorities to hospital buildings.

From a defense perspective, he recalls that Estonia has already consolidated maritime surveillance and larger vessels under the Navy. He says aviation needs a similar discussion. In crisis or war, aviation means situational awareness, intelligence, transport, evacuation and support for allied operations. Värk, who has served in wartime conditions, says Estonia currently relies almost entirely on allied help in this field.

Before spending a quarter-billion euros, he says, Estonia must define what role PPA aviation plays in crisis and war, and whether its management is placed at the right level. The analysis should cover ambulance reform, hospital networks, regional policy, aviation, maritime rescue, national defense, NATO obligations and the next twenty years. Only then can the country be sure the solution is best for Estonia as a whole. Värk concludes that the real issue is not five helicopters or money, but what kind of Estonia is being built — and that the investment should buy more than machines: more safety, more saved lives and stronger defense.