Lithuanian Armed Forces Receive 50 More JLTV Armored Vehicles from the United States
The Lithuanian Armed Forces have received another batch of American-made JLTV armored military off-road vehicles, the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Lithuania reported, LRT reports.
This is the third batch for the Lithuanian military. It consists of 50 JLTV units.
Some of these vehicles are armed with a remote-controlled CROWS machine gun with a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun.
With this batch of American-made JLTV armored off-road vehicles, the Lithuanian army's total number of JLTVs has reached 150.
It is expected that all 200 JLTV armored vehicles ordered under the first contract will be delivered to the Lithuanian army by the end of this year.
The intention to purchase American JLTV vehicles was first announced in 2017, when this model outperformed nine other armored vehicles offered to the Lithuanian army during tests in Lithuania.
Lithuania submitted an application for the purchase of JLTVs to the United States in late February 2019.
In August 2021, the Lithuanian army received the first batch of JLTV armored military off-road vehicles manufactured by the American company Oshkosh Defense.
The second batch of armored vehicles arrived in November 2022.
Also in 2022, Lithuania signed a contract to purchase an additional 300 JLTVs. Their delivery will begin next year. The purchase is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. The armored vehicles will be armed with 12.7 mm M2 QCB heavy machine guns.
With the receipt of these additional JLTV military off-road vehicles, the Lithuanian Army will have a total of 500 vehicles. The new armored vehicles will significantly enhance the current capabilities of the Lithuanian army, increase mobility, personnel protection and combat power of the troops.
Earlier, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonite called on European countries to abandon the taboo of military assistance to Ukraine, which has been under military attack by Russia.
She called for providing Kyiv with the necessary weapons, including fighter jets and long-range missile systems.
«We must help Ukraine win the war. This is the only way to achieve sustainable peace and prevent a new war in Europe,» Šimonite said.
At the same time, the Lithuanian Prime Minister said that Lithuanian Stinger man-portable air defense systems and missiles would arrive in Ukraine.
Lithuania borders Russia and has repeatedly emphasized that Russia threatens its security.