Lithuania has signed a contract to acquire additional 300 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) from the United States, the Defence Ministry has reported.
“This additional acquisition of 300 armoured utility vehicles from the United States is one of the most important steps in modernising Lithuania’s military. Our military cooperation with the United States is growing in scale and, together, we can contribute to the security of NATO’s eastern flank,” a press release from the ministry quoted Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas.
The Defence Materiel Agency under the Ministry of Defense signed a new contract with the US government on the acquisition of 300 utility vehicles earlier this week.
Including the 200 utility vehicles being acquired under the contract signed with the US government in 2019, Lithuania would in total purchase 500 such vehicles for its armed forces, the press release said.
The ministry has not disclosed the value of the new deal. Meanwhile, acquisition of 200 utility vehicles cost 145 million euros for Lithuania.
According to the ministry, utility vehicles will significantly strengthen the existing capabilities of the Lithuanian armed forces, improve mobility, protection of troops and combat power.
“We are sending a strong signal to our allies that Lithuania is not just supporting Ukraine but also cares about and invests in defence of its own territory and the whole alliance,” Anusauskas said.
Deputy Defence Minister Vilius Semeska said that the first vehicles acquired under the new contract would be delivered to Lithuania in 2023 and the remaining JLTVs would be supplied gradually until the end of 2024.
The JLTV all-terrain vehicles for the Lithuanian Armed Forces will be made by Oshkosh Defense.
The new JLTVs will be equipped with turrets and 12.7 mm M2 QCB machine-guns and given to battalions of the Mechanized Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf and the Motorized Infantry Brigade Griffin while prioritizing the national rapid response forces. (LRT/Business World Magazine)