Lithuania allocates additional €3 million for air defence prototypes

Lithuania’s Ministry of Economy and Innovation will provide an additional €3 million to develop air defence prototypes designed to counter smugglers’ balloons and hostile drones, LRT reports. The systems will be used by the military, border guards, and public security services.

Economy and Innovation Minister Edvinas Grikšas confirmed that the prototypes, tested earlier this year, are not yet fully refined. “They function in terms of taking down targets and other solutions, but the technological implementation is still incomplete,” he said.

Initial trials in February involved consortia led by companies including IT Logika, Teltonika EMS, and Dangaus Šviesos. The ministry had initially pledged €1 million for the first phase but allocated only €300,000. The new funding aims to integrate the technologies into a single system capable of detecting, identifying, and neutralising aerial threats.

Interior Minister Vladislavas Kondratovičius called the innovations “essential as part of standard equipment” for security agencies, while Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas emphasised the need to combine existing technologies into a unified device. “The second phase will show how close or far we are from that goal,” he said.

Defence expert Artūras Plokšto noted that Lithuania already possesses radar systems, sensors, and traditional air defence but lacks cost-effective alternatives to conventional missiles and a strategy to unify all components. He suggested prioritising radar over acoustic systems and exploring civilian reporting mechanisms, similar to Ukraine’s model.

The first phase attracted 35 companies, though smaller manufacturers criticised the competition’s restrictive terms. A large-scale procurement is planned once the best prototype is selected, though no timeline has been set.