Lithuania prepares massive purchase of Finnish armored vehicles

Lithuania is set to make a significant defense procurement, planning to acquire nearly a thousand new armored vehicles from Finland at a cost of approximately 1.5 billion euros. The decision was announced following a State Defense Council meeting.

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We will acquire 936 armored vehicles manufactured by a Finnish producer. It is planned to acquire 300 units by 2030.

President Gitanas Nausėda stated that Lithuania will purchase 936 armored vehicles manufactured by a Finnish producer. The plan is to acquire 300 units by 2030. A key condition of the deal is that the production of these armored vehicles must also be organized in Lithuania, allowing the country to integrate into the manufacturing supply chain.

However, the substantial cost of the new vehicles has raised questions. Lithuania already has combat armored vehicles and is awaiting 90 Swedish units, leading some to believe that another armored vehicle platform might not be a top priority. Arūnas Kumpis, a participant in the war in Ukraine, commented that if financial resources were unlimited, acquiring everything, including tanks, would be feasible. But given limited funds, he suggested priorities should be re-evaluated.

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This is one of our requirements, that the production of these armored vehicles is also organized in Lithuania and we can integrate into their production chain.

Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Robertas Kaunas defended the purchase, describing the Finnish armored vehicles as a versatile, multifunctional platform that can be adapted for various roles, including air defense. He emphasized that these vehicles are essential for building a national division and ensuring the safer transport of 20,000 or more soldiers to and from the front lines.

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If we have unlimited financial resources, we need everything and even those unfortunate tanks. If you return to the fact that money is limited, considering the current situation, we should reorder priorities.

Meanwhile, Lithuania is also focusing on border security and defense systems. While Latvia plans to deploy interceptor drones and install towers with remotely controlled automatic cannons along its eastern border, Lithuania is still testing its systems. Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė asserted that Lithuania's security systems are more advanced than Latvia's, citing migrant control as an example. Kaunas added that Lithuanian systems aim for a comprehensive approach, integrating various radars and sensors rather than relying solely on acoustic sensors, which he noted only detected an explosion, not the drone's flight, in Latvia's case. Lithuania has invested heavily in air defense, allocating half a billion euros last year and planning an additional 200 million euros this year, prioritizing radars, acoustic sensors, and anti-drone systems.

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This is a multifunctional platform that is of different types, for example, to be used for air defense.