Lithuania to Allocate €30 Million Annually for Army Drones
Lithuania plans to allocate €30 million annually for the development of unmanned systems in its army, announced Deputy Minister of National Defense Žilvinas Tomkus. According to him, the Lithuanian army needs not only drones but also other military equipment, and all systems must be integrated and capable of interacting with each other, as reported by LRT.
"It is essential to understand that drones alone will not save Ukraine or the Baltic countries in case of aggression. Therefore, there must be integration of systems from manoeuvring units, artillery, elements of air defence, and including drones, which contribute to accomplishing specific tasks at the tactical level," said Žilvinas Tomkus.
Meanwhile, volunteer Arunas Kumpis, who fought in Ukraine, noted that American combat drones Switchblade 600, purchased by the Lithuanian army, cost ten times more and have poorer technical capabilities than Chinese drones used in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Nevertheless, based on his experience, he emphasizes the importance of drones in modern warfare. According to him, there are no prospects for conducting war without drones; it's like fighting blind.
Arunas Kumpis stated that four categories of drones are used in warfare: long-range reconnaissance, short-range reconnaissance, small strike, and large strike drones. In Ukraine, small strike drones are most widely used, costing from €500 to €1000 each. He mentioned that drones destroy about half of the enemy's equipment on the ground.
"A €500 drone easily destroys equipment worth €14 million," emphasized the military serviceman.
Deputy Minister of National Defense of Lithuania Žilvinas Tomkus emphasizes that the country has a strategy for using drones, but it is not publicly available.
"Our goal is to transition from reconnaissance to combat drones, from the company level to the brigade level, from the tactical level to the operational level," stated the Deputy Minister.
It's worth noting that in December 2021, the Ministry of National Defense of Lithuania signed a contract to purchase American combat drones Switchblade 600. The first batch of these drones is expected to arrive this year.