Main image: Raimundas Vaikšnoras by J. Stacevičius / LRT
Lithuania plans to spend €500 million on additional air defense systems in the coming years, but the country’s Armed Forces chief warned on Monday that even these upgrades will not guarantee 100% protection of its airspace.
This was reported by LRT.
“Like all NATO countries, at this time we cannot ensure 100% (airspace security),” said Armed Forces Commander Raimundas Vaikšnoras.
He added that full coverage would require much higher spending, possibly 10% of GDP on defense.
Vaikšnoras confirmed that the planned measures will focus on specific border areas and strategic facilities. Broader airspace protection, he said, would require billions of euros.
“It is very important to set expectations correctly. Attention will be paid to strategic objects, not just borders. We hope for support from Germany, particularly in Lithuania. The force development process is ongoing to ensure a systematic approach to the problem,” he said.
The planned Lithuanian defense systems are expected to be mobile, allowing the military to redeploy them if a threat is detected.
“The result will be that we can identify low-flying objects and neutralize them,” Vaikšnoras said.
His comments come against the backdrop of a series of incidents in which Russian drones violated NATO’s eastern flank airspace. This summer, for example, two Gerbera drones entered Lithuania, and on September 26, Vilnius Airport operations were halted twice due to drone activity.
