The Lithuanian Defence Ministry on September 30 signed a contract with a Polish company for the acquisition of kamikaze drones for Ukraine.
The ministry has said Lithuania will use funds raised in a crowdfunding campaign to buy Warmate drone systems from Poland’s WB Group and hand them over to Ukraine.
Deputy Defence Minister Vilius Semeska said that two complete sets, including the launching system and 37 units of loitering munitions, would be purchased from Poland.
The so-called kamikaze drones are capable of carrying explosives and destroying tanks and command posts, and the need for these drones has been coordinated with the Ukrainian military, according to the deputy minister.
The manufacturer is expected to deliver the systems in October or November.
The easily transportable Warmate kamikaze drones weigh around 5.7 kg and can operate at a range of 30 kilometres and attack at 150 km/h.
The funds for the purchase were raised by Andrius Tapinas, a Lithuanian journalist and media personality. His initiative, called the Legion of Boom, raised over 2 million euros, and half of the money would be used to purchase the Warmate loitering munition systems. (LRT/Business World Magazine)