Lithuania expects air detection system to be partly operational by 2027

Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas expects an integrated system for detecting objects in the airspace to be partly operational by the end of 2027, LRT reported.

Kaunas said the timeline depended on whether businesses could quickly develop the software and connect the different components. The next step, he said, is to add kinetic and non-kinetic measures to existing detection capabilities and deploy them across Lithuania. This will require changes to legislation and response procedures, which are being worked on in parallel.

He spoke after a drone flew into Lithuania from Poland on Sunday morning. Debris from the aircraft was later found in Juodžioniai village, Pasvalys district. The explosion damaged a civilian car, but no one was injured. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said the object was Ukrainian and carried explosives.

Kaunas said the government had ordered new radars, which suppliers say may take up to two years to arrive. The ministry has also launched a state procurement process for software to link air detection systems and received 19 proposals from Lithuanian companies. It plans to assess them in the coming days and begin work with the bidders that best meet its needs.

The minister also pointed to acoustic sensors being installed along the border. He said the challenge was that detection tools currently work separately: radars can identify an object’s speed, altitude and direction, but do not provide sound or other forms of analysis. A unified system could combine signals from acoustic sensors, radars and cameras, as well as reports from residents and border guards, he said.

In September, the Ministry of National Defence said developing a short-range air defence system was one of Lithuania’s main projects, with costs estimated at up to 1 billion euros for Lithuania and about 2 billion euros for the three Baltic states together. Lithuania plans to spend 2.03 billion euros on airspace surveillance, defence and electronic warfare development between 2026 and 2030. The Baltic states have asked the European Commission for additional EU funding for urgent air defence needs.