„Resources must be earmarked because a tracked infantry fighting vehicle costs more than a wheeled one. Resources mean not just direct costs or maintenance (&) but infrastructure is needed for that, too,“ Budrys said in an interview to the radio station Žinių radijas on Tuesday.
He said that tracked IFVs are more expensive to maintain compared with wheeled vehicles.
„And here were have a huge topic – what we are building, in what time we are building and what do we lack. I hope that in the nearest future we will be presented the options, depending on when manufacturers can make deliveries, how much this would cost us, [and] what would be the interoperability with allied capabilities that we will have in Lithuania,“ he said.
Although Budrys admits that preparing military infrastructure for tracked IFVs will take time, yet this should not undermine Lithuania’s plans to establish a fully operational division sized unit by 2030.
As reported, Minister of National Defence Laurynas Kasčiūnas announced in July that in the second phase of IFV acquisition Lithuania would procure tracked IFVs.
In 2023, Lithuania completed the acquisition of German wheeled IFVs Boxer (Vilkas), purchasing 89 vehicles and 2 prototypes. The acquisition cost EUR 670 million and two battalions of the Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf were equipped with the IFVs.