Lithuania Is Strengthening Its Air Defense By Ordering More MSHORAD And NASAMS Systems.
Lithuania, which has significantly increased its defense spending every year since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, has signed two new procurement contracts to upgrade its existing air defense capabilities. These purchases, which both contribute to the country’s national security policy and support the eastern flank of the NATO alliance, come at a time when Russian drones frequently violate the airspace of the Baltic states.
According to the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence, the first contract was signed on 1 October with the Swedish company Saab Dynamics for the RBS70 NG Mobile Short Range Air Defence System. This purchase is in addition to the first MSHORAD order placed in July 2024. The additional order, worth approximately 130 million euros, includes Mobile Firing Units, Mobile Radar Units, and a Command and Control (C2) system. The systems will be delivered between 2026 and 2029, and Saab will integrate MSHORAD into JLTV vehicles manufactured by the US company Oshkosh before delivery.
“We are proud to continue supporting the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ short-range air defence capability. MSHORAD is a highly mobile solution which enables the user to quickly and effectively identify and counteract air threats,” says Görgen Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Dynamics.
The second contract was signed on 3 October with Norwegian Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KONGSBERG) for more National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS). The €239 million contract follows orders placed in December 2023 to increase the number of NASAMS firing units. The contract will provide Lithuania with state-of-the-art technology and advanced air defense capabilities, including launchers, radars, a fire control center, related missiles, and upgrades to parts of NASAMS equipment purchased in 2017.
“KONGSBERG sees increased demand from existing NASAMS users to upgrade and expand their NASAMS assets. The NASAMS system is an important defence capacity given the geopolitical situation in the world. The contract with Lithuania also strengthens the country’s partnership with NATO,” said Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
Lithuania’s purchase of additional RBS 70 NG and NASAMS is just one of the steps taken by the Vilnius government in recent years to strengthen its military’s ability to counter enemy air attacks. The Baltic country has already purchased a range of equipment for this purpose, including AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, more Grom MANPADs from Poland, Lockheed Martin AN/TPS-77 radars, and Thales Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission Compact (GM200 MM/C) radars. Some of these purchases were made with US aid funds so that Lithuania could meet its NATO commitments. In addition, the Vilnius government intends to purchase IRIS-T SLM (Medium Range Ground-Based Air Defense) from Germany.