The first Lithuania-manufactured first-person view (FPV) drones are expected to be delivered to Ukraine in September, according to the Defence Ministry.
“It is planned that the first FPV drones to be purchased (from Lithuanian manufacturers) could be handed over to Ukraine as early as the second half of September,” the ministry said in a comment to BNS.
Last week, the ministry said that combat drones made by five Lithuanian manufacturers had passed the Ukrainian Defence Ministry’s tests in a frontline environment and would be sent to Ukraine.
This was the second attempt, as the Lithuania-made drones had failed the first test.
According to the ministry, FPV drones from eight Lithuanian companies were tested in Ukraine in two stages, and technical challenges arose during the initial stage of flights in an operational environment.
Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas said that Lithuania was considering purchasing UAVs from the manufacturers that passed the tests.
“In the future, the practice of testing drones in Ukraine before purchase is planned to continue,” the ministry said.
The current plan is to supply 5 million euros worth of Lithuania-made drones to Ukraine and allocate drones worth up to 3 million euros for the needs of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The remaining funds under the 10-million-euro program will be used to purchase reconnaissance drones for Ukraine.
In early July, Lithuania signed contracts, worth 36 million euros in total, to acquire various types of drones from Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian manufacturers.
The Defence Ministry expects most of the drones to be delivered this fall, with the remainder to arrive in early 2025.
The ministry says the purchases are being made on an expedited basis to beef up drone capabilities and integrate them into the Lithuanian Armed Forces as quickly as possible.
Lithuania’s national defence system started paying more attention to drones after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, where both sides are using UAVs for various tasks ranging from reconnaissance to destroying enemy targets. (LRT)