The minister made the announcement on social media on Friday morning, after he met with Finance Minister Gintaras Skaistė.
„We have agreed that we will soon allocate an additional EUR 20 million for the procurement of different types of combat drones and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft later this year. They will be provided to the Lithuanian Armed Forces, including national defence volunteers. The funds will also be used to train drone instructors and operators, taking over Ukrainian experience,“ Kasčiūnas wrote on Facebook.
He noted that the additional acquisitions will allow to reach a new quality level in the process of training drone instructors.
„The next step is the integration of unmanned aircraft capabilities into the structures of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. We will present the chosen model by September,“ the Conservative minister said.
At the end of June, Lithuania’s defence spending exceeded 3% of gross domestic product (GDP), following the Cabinet’s allocation of an additional EUR 136 million to speed up procurements of major military equipment.
