Lithuania Develops Its Own Kamikaze Drone
Lithuanian manufacturers, in collaboration with the country's armed forces, are working on creating their own kamikaze drone. This was announced by the Head of the Development Planning Council of the Lithuanian Defence Staff, Rolandas Greibus, cited by LRT.
"I want to remind you that back in 2021, we initiated a program for so-called 'barrage munitions,' where we are actively working together with the industry and developing it. We hope that this year we will receive prototypes of Lithuanian unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as kamikaze drones. Next year, if the prototype meets our requirements, we will be able to acquire these recently developed Lithuanian systems," said Greibus.
Deputy Minister of Defense Greta Tuchkute noted that cooperation with businesses is active, but goods are not always purchased from Lithuanian companies because they cannot offer a competitive price, or because the military are not satisfied with delivery terms or quality.
"Cooperation is indeed taking place. We have a War Institute where our manufacturers are received and their ideas tested. Cooperation is happening through scientific research. It is very important for us that our manufacturers are strong," said Greta Tuchkute.
It is worth noting that earlier, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda criticized the country's military for insufficient attention to drone capabilities, stating that they play an important role in the overall defence strategy. However, the parliamentary committee on national security and defence supported the idea of creating a State Defence Council chaired by the president to discuss the development of drone capabilities.
In response, Defense Minister Arvydas Anushauskas noted that the situation with the development of the drone manufacturing industry in Lithuania is under control.
The Gaze previously reported that seven countries joined a drone coalition led by Latvia in support of Ukraine. In particular, at the 19th Ramstein Format Meeting, Latvia, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany signed a letter of intent to participate in the drone coalition. The goal of this coalition is to provide Ukraine with one million drones.
By signing the letter of intent, countries commit to investing resources in drone production, supplying drones and spare parts to Ukraine, as well as testing drones, training troops, and implementing other technical solutions.