Twelve firms submit proposals for Lithuania’s airspace monitoring system

Twelve companies and consortia have submitted initial proposals to develop an integrated airspace surveillance and control system, Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence said, according to LRT.

The competition includes individual Lithuanian companies as well as consortia bringing together Lithuanian and international partners. The ministry initially received 19 applications. After assessing final proposals, it will select up to three participants for the first stage. The second and third stages will continue with the highest-rated participant.

The contract is expected to be signed in December, with about 5 million euros allocated to the project. A working pilot solution is expected in early 2027.

In 2027, the system is intended to connect all linked sensors and air defence assets to create a shared picture of the air situation. Information about a detected object will be sent to the leaders of institutions and services in the territory where it is detected, as well as to operators of critical infrastructure. As the object moves, tracking will be passed continuously from one territory to another.

In 2028, the system is due to connect with both the Lithuanian military’s airspace surveillance and control system and data-sharing platforms used by allies.

The project is intended to complement the ministry’s development of a national short-range air defence capability and to involve Lithuania’s defence industry and technology developers more actively. State procurement is one of the defence innovation funding measures provided for under the Law on the Defence and Security Industry, aimed at developing and maintaining defence-related technological expertise in Lithuania.

Earlier in October, the ministry said Lithuania was installing and testing SkyFortress, an acoustic drone detection system developed in Ukraine. Concern about detecting airspace violations and air defence has grown since drone-related incidents began last year.