Lithuania Bolsters Air Defence with €200M NASAMS Contract

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KONGSBERG) entered into a contract with the Lithuanian government, valued at €200 million (approximately NOK 2.3 billion), for the acquisition of additional NASAMS air defence systems.

As part of the contract, Lithuania will undertake the modernization of existing NASAMS equipment procured in 2017, seeking to update and optimize the configuration of the air defence system.

“We are significantly strengthening Lithuania's air defence capabilities. The main reason for the decision is that the NASAMS system is already successfully operated by the Lithuanian Armed Forces, so the additional acquisition of NASAMS will not create integration problems," said Greta Monika Tučkutė, Vice Minister of National Defence.

Lithuanian army will get their hands on a new NASAMS system in 2026, the country’s defence ministry confirmed.

Earlier this year, Lithuania's Ministry of Defence acquired NASAMS missile launchers for donation to Ukraine, with the system playing a role in safeguarding people and critical infrastructure.

NASAMS, a collaborative effort by Raytheon Technologies and the Norwegian Kongsberg group, is a medium-range anti-aircraft missile system. Its battery includes three firing units with 2 to 3 missile launchers each, an AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel radar station, a control vehicle, and an MSP500 electro-optical system-equipped vehicle. Mobile launchers carry six containers with anti-aircraft missiles. The NASAMS II configuration, using AIM-120C AMRAAM missiles, has a range of up to 25 km and altitudes of 14-15 km. NASAMS III extends its targeting capability to distances of up to 40 km.