Lithuania to receive first two howitzers
The German armed forces have dispatched the first two 155mm PzH 2000 howitzers for the Lithuanian armed forces, it was announced on 23 June.
As per the contract, which was signed in September 2015, the Lithuanian armed forces bought 16 155mm howitzers for combat purposes, and five for training and spare parts. Lithuania also acquired 26 M577 V2 armoured command vehicles and six BPZ2 recovery tanks. The contract also includes support for technical maintenance arrangements and training for Lithuanian soldiers.
The remaining equipment under the contract will be delivered to Lithuania by 2019. The equipment will be used by General Romualdas Giedraitis Artillery Battalion of the Mechanised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf based in Rukla. Currently, the battalion uses 105mm howitzers with an effective range of 11km. The new PzH 2000 howitzers will increase the battalion's range to 40km.
Lithuanian soldiers will start training on the new equipment shortly, with the howitzers expected to be first used at the upcoming Exercise Flaming Thunder. Training of Lithuanian personnel responsible for servicing and maintaining the equipment, crew members serving the artillery systems and personnel planning operations, has begun.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
Aselsan has started producing Akkor active protection system for Altay tank
Akkor is an active protection system (APS) developed by Aselsan, equipped with both hard- and soft-kill functionalities. It provides protection against antitank missiles and rockets for armoured vehicles and is designed for Turkey’s Leopard and Altay tanks.
-
Fering Pioneer X moves towards production
The Pioneer X long-range vehicle has a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 3,500kg, of which 1,850kg is payload and the lightweight carbon chassis can be fitted with various top modules to suit requirements. In addition, there is the potential for a 6x6 version with increased volume and payload.
-
NP Aerospace brings life to Jankel as others eye it as Land Mobility Programme partner
NP Aerospace took over Jankel’s contract to supply and support Belgium’s Light Tactical Transport Vehicle (LTTV) fleet after acquiring Jankel Armouring’s assets.
-
Lessons from Ukraine are complex, say forces’ leaders
The Ukraine war has provided impactful videos on social media, namely the sight of small uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) bombing or attacking vehicles and soldiers. This has, however, been overstated and the basics of warfare and effects remain unchanged, according to leading military personnel.
-
Thales targets requirements with Xtraim digital weapon sight and reveals that thousands have already been sold
The sight can be used by soldiers wearing night-vision goggles if required and has an all-in-one architecture that combines conventional red-dot and thermal imaging technologies.