The Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence has announced plans to purchase various types of drones for €36 million. The purchase will include small reconnaissance drones from Latvian company Edge Autonomy, reconnaissance mini-drones from Estonian company Threod Systems, and Lithuanian quadcopters from UAB Deftools. The majority of the drones are expected to be delivered this fall, with the remainder arriving in early 2025. The Ministry of National Defense has stated that the purchase is urgent in order to enhance the potential of the drones and integrate them into the Lithuanian Armed Forces quickly. This procurement is part of a larger plan, with about €200 million allocated for the purchase of unmanned aerial systems by 2030. Approximately €30 million per year is planned to be spent on this initiative.

The decision to purchase drones from local and Baltic manufacturers was made to bolster the country’s defense industry and has been seen as a priority for Lithuania. In recent years, the country has increased its capacity to produce various drones. In 2022, Lithuania acquired Estonian drones from Threod Systems and Latvian drones from Edge Autonomy for use in Ukraine. The Estonian EOS C VTOL drones are high-performance electric mini-UAVs designed for vertical takeoff and landing, while the Latvian Penguin MK2 drones have an impressive operating time of up to 25 hours and a line-of-sight range of 180 km. These previous purchases have likely influenced the decision to continue procuring drones from Baltic manufacturers.

ملخص الأخبار

• وكالة مواد الدفاع تحدثت عن شراء الطائرات من مصنعين ليتوانيين ولاتفيين.
• تم زيادة قدرة صناعة الدفاع الليتوانية على إنتاج مختلف أنواع الطائرات.
• شاركت ما يقرب من 30 شركة و100 ممثل شركة في معرض Drone Day 2024 الليتواني وعرضوا منتجاتهم.