Lithuania’s state-owned Giraite Armament Plant has begun producing anti-drone cartridges, with test batches already dispatched to Sweden and France and interest from several other countries.
The plant, a small-calibre ammunition manufacturer based in Kaunas district, developed the ammunition concept last year drawing on experience from Ukraine. Prototypes were tested in laboratories and at a firing range before the Lithuanian Armed Forces trialled the cartridges for the first time last week.
Mass production can begin immediately as the plant awaits orders, according to its director, Mindaugas Kurauskas.
The cartridges are designed to give individual soldiers protection against drones and are compatible with standard 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm NATO weapons, with an effective range of 50 to 100 metres. Each round costs approximately two euros, with magazines holding around 30 cartridges.
The plant plans to produce roughly five million cartridges per year, about a tenth of its total output, generating around ten million euros in revenue.
Kurauskas said interest had been expressed by the Czech Republic, Estonia, Belgium and Israel, with orders and the start of industrial-scale production expected shortly. The plant is also in discussions with the Danish defence industry about incorporating the ammunition into anti-drone systems.
Finance Minister Kristupas Vaitiekunas said the development marked an expansion of the plant’s capabilities.
“Giraite Armament Plant is introducing new innovative products and expanding production,” he told reporters on June 15.
The plant is also currently modernising its facilities and preparing for the construction of a second production line, an investment of around 26 million euros, while collaborating with American defence firm Northrop Grumman and Norwegian-based NAMMO on the production of medium-calibre ammunition. (LRT)