Lithuania has acquired a batch of small uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) from the US defence supplier, AeroVironment, and intends to buy many more.
The Army plans to integrate these support drones with larger Switchblade 600 loitering munitions purchased by the same company in 2022, and these were said to arrive sometime in 2024.
The government is the fist country to purchase the kamikaze drone after the US. The system has high precision optics, up to a 40-minute flight time, and an anti-armour warhead.
This strategic drone combination will see the smaller vertical-lift units provide fire control and adjustment tasks while the larger combat drones operate as one-way-attack systems effective against heavily armoured vehicles, including tanks.
According to a statement from the Ministry of National Defence, these small UAS units are scheduled to arrive towards the end of 2025 and they will be “supplemented further in the future.”
In the same breath, the government confirmed two other contracts related to the acquisition of manpack radios for troops operating Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and Boxer ‘Vilkas’ fighting vehicles.
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By GlobalData
Lithuania leans on US military supplies
Currently the largest spender on US military supplies in the Baltic region, Lithuania’s deal – worth approximately $7.8m (€7.49m) and signed in mid-December 2024 – brings the total value of the country’s US military acquisitions to $1.3bn.
Their bilateral trade with the US makes up approximately 20% of Lithuania’s overall military procurement according to the Ministry.
Likewise, Lithuania’s defence budget has lately topped 3% of its gross domestic product, outpacing many of its Nato allies. The country has also seen substantial historical growth having registered a positive compound annual growth rate of 16.2% between 2020 and 2024 according to intelligence from GlobalData’s ‘Lithuania Defence Market, 2024-2033’ report.
Now, the acquisition budget is forecast to grow over the next five years, with a predicted increase of 3.7%, increasing from $477m to $552m by 2029, providing the country with increased acquisition capabilities.
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