„On Friday, the first Lithuanian drones will be arriving to our warehouses. They will be shipped to Ukraine and to the Lithuanian military,“ Kasčiūnas told reporters after a meeting with President Gitanas Nausėda.
According to the minister, combat drones manufactured by five Lithuanian companies will be transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Lithuania by the end of the year.
„Out of five companies, I think three will be ready [to deliver] this Friday. Afterwards everything will proceed very rapidly by the end of November. Everyone will have to manufacture the entire amount. Everything will be done by the end of this year – the military will be equipped and transfers made to Ukraine,“ said the minister.
As reported, at the end of July, the Government decided to allocate additional EUR 20 million for the acquisition of combat drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance.
The Defence Materiel Agency in August stated that it would purchase drones for EUR 8 million from five companies and that they will be transferred to the Lithuanian and Ukrainian Armed Forces. The companies include Dangolakis, RSI Europe, Ltmiltech, Granta Autonomy and Unmanned Defense Systems.
The Lithuanian military will receive more than 2,300 FPV drones for EUR 3 million, while Ukraine will receive nearly 5,000 identical drones for EUR 5 million.