„The Social Democrats have been in power for a year and a half. It should have been clear after the events of last summer that a massive overhaul of air defence—and at the very least of detection systems—was needed. A plan was submitted to the National Security and Defence Committee (NSGK). Still, as I understand it, the implementation of that plan is proceeding slowly,“ Kasčiūnas told reporters in the Seimas on Tuesday.
„What I’m hearing now from statements by responsible officials is that, in the best-case scenario, we’ll have some kind of sophisticated detection system—one that will allow us to see drones at lower altitudes and distinguish them from other objects—by 2027–2028,“ the lawmaker noted.
According to the Conservative, we need to negotiate with Ukraine, which, he says, can offer technologies to combat drones.
Susiję straipsniai
„It seems to me we’re a bit too slow, too static. And the first thing we need to do is negotiate with Ukraine so that their technologies (...) can be transferred to Lithuania. Yes, Ukraine is a country at war and so far, does not want to transfer technology to other countries, even friendly ones. Still, we must negotiate this,“ explained Kasčiūnas, adding that we also need to boost local industry.
„From what I’m hearing, we’ll be blind to unmanned aerial vehicles in this sense until 2027–2028. That’s not encouraging news; I’d suggest we pull ourselves together,“ the politician concluded.
A drone, suspected to be Ukrainian, that flew into Lithuania on Monday night and crashed in the Varėna district, has reignited discussions about Lithuania’s air defence. The military confirmed that neither they nor border guards detected the drone, and that residents reported the object to the authorities.
Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė says that acquiring the necessary systems is complicated—the process is underway, but sufficient air defence capabilities are not expected until 2030.
For his part, Robertas Kaunas, Head of the Ministry of National Defence (MND), asserts that some of the radars ordered last year and early this year have already been received, while the rest are expected to arrive between 2026 and 2028. According to the minister, discussions regarding the procurement of air defence systems are underway with various countries, including the United States (U.S.), Israel, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic.
Meanwhile, Army Commander General Raimundas Vaikšnoras states that he is not satisfied with this timeline. However, he notes that the duration of this process depends on factors beyond his control.