Lithuania to buy drones and receive more Javelins, JLTVs
Lithuanian specialists are in the US inspecting the latest batch of 50 JLTVs. (Photo: Lithuanian MoD)
New UASs and more Javelin antitank missiles will be procured by Lithuania.
The Lithuanian MoD announced on 14 September that it has begun organising the procurement of new UASs.
‘We plan to purchase 35 sets of small and mini unmanned aircraft systems,’ the MoD noted in a Twitter post, without providing further details.
It added that the UAS procurement ‘will significantly improve the intelligence capabilities’ of the Lithuanian Land Forces.
Lithuania currently operates DJI Phantom 4 COTS quadcopters as well as military-grade RQ-11 (Raven B) and ScanEagle UAVs.
The Baltic republic will also receive more full-rate production FGM-148 Javelin ATGMs by November 2026 via the FMS programme, as part of a $311.17 million contract modification announced by the DoD on 13 September.
Jordan is the other FMS recipient in the modification.
Lithuania already has Javelin in its inventory, and an FMS request in 2021 called for an additional 230 FGM-148F missiles and 20 Javelin Command Launch Units from the Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin JV.
Also on 14 September, the MoD revealed that the second batch of 50 Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) will arrive in Lithuania in October. The initial 50-vehicle batch reached the country in August 2021, and Lithuania ordered 200 in total with the final vehicles scheduled to arrive in 2024.
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