On December 20 in Stockholm Vice Minister of National Defence Greta Monika Tučkutė signed a preliminary agreement with the Defence Materiel Administration of the Swedish Armed Forces joining Lithuania to the short-range air defence system procurement contract the institution has.
“Acquisition of a short-range air defence system will significantly increase our air defence. We collaborate with the Defence Materiel Administration to start further procurement procedures which will reveal the exact price, scope and other details of the project,” says Vice Minister G. M. Tučkutė.
The mobile short-range air defence system capability ensures quick detection of airborne targets and efficient response to different airborne threats. First components of the short-range air defence system may arrive in Lithuania as soon as 2025 and the entire system is expected to be assembled by 2027.
During the visit in Stockholm Vice Minister had a bilateral meeting with State Secretary to Swedish Minister for Defence Peter Sandwall. The officials discussed strengthening the cooperation when Sweden becomes a member of NATO, including the potential Swedish contribution to the NATO Air Policing Mission or the Rotational NATO Air Defence Model. They also discussed the demining coalition for Ukraine Lithuania formed.
