Kasčiūnas says Lithuania cannot protect its airspace

Opposition leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas says Lithuania is not yet capable of protecting its airspace and that procurements for layered air defences have stalled, LRT reported.

The chairman of the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) said air defence did not appear to be a priority for the government. Although the plan and the equipment to be acquired have been identified, progress had effectively been at a standstill for a year and a half, he told Žinių radijas on Friday.

Of the 16 capabilities set out in the layered air defence plan, contracts have been signed for only three, Kasčiūnas said. He added that half a billion euros had been allocated to implement the plan.

Lithuania still lacks radars to detect objects at low and medium altitudes, identification and electronic warfare equipment, and systems to intercept drones, he said. Kasčiūnas called for faster procurement to build a complete layered air defence system, warning that otherwise the country could again face the kind of chaos seen a few days earlier.

Lithuania is developing an integrated counter-drone system to connect different airspace surveillance and drone-destruction capabilities. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas has said it should be completed by the end of 2027, although the aim is to finish at least six months earlier.

Last November, the State Defence Council decided that Lithuania must establish an integrated airspace defence system within three years, involving the armed forces, the State Border Guard Service and the Public Security Service.