According to a statement published by the Ministry of Defense of Lithuania on September 14, 2022, the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence began the procedure for the acquisition of 35 UAV systems, 26 “mini” and 9 “small” types.
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The Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 tactical drone was presented to the public in July 2022. (Picture source Lithuania MoD)

“Acquisition of these systems will significantly improve the Lithuanian military intelligence capabilities. The Lithuanian Armed Forces currently doesn’t have any tactical unmanned aircraft suitable for reconnaissance,” says Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas.

The purpose of reconnaissance requires the UAVs to weigh below 150 kg (Class I) and meet the requirements of “mini” and “small” types of systems. Such aircraft detect and identify, track targets, allow for assessment of the impact of actions, monitoring of artillery fire, and artillery fire adjustment and correction.

The “mini” type weighs up to 20 kg with an effective range of up to 25 km and an altitude of up to 1,000 meters. The “small” type weighs above 20 kg with an effective range of up to 50 km and an altitude of up to 1,500 meters.

The cost of concurrent acquisition of both, “mini” and “small” types of UAVs, may amount to approx. 36 million o Euros, based on a carried out market analysis.

The Ministry of National Defence and the Lithuanian Armed Forces attaches great importance to the acquisition and integration of new reconnaissance and warfare instruments aiming to improve the combat capabilities of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Another planned combat drone acquisition currently underway is carried out with the U.S. Government to procure Switchblade UAVs.

Defense News September 2022