SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Lithuania to buy 8 HIMARS rocket launchers from US
Vilnius, Nov 10 (AFP) Nov 10, 2022
Lithuania is set to buy eight HIMARS rocket systems from the United States for $495 million (euros), officials said on Thursday.

The Baltic state, which neighbours Russia and Kremlin ally Belarus, has increased defence spending since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said the systems to be delivered in 2025 and 2026 will provide "a completely new and powerful capability that Lithuania has never had".

"The proposed sale will contribute to Lithuania's military goals of updating its capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies," the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement.

The HIMARS systems delivered to Ukraine are widely seen as one of the most effective tools in its arsenal as the pro-Western country fights back against Russian troops.

Lithuania, an EU and NATO member, spends more than 1.6 billion euros or 2.52 percent of GDP on defence and will be hosting a NATO summit in July next year.

The nation of 2.8 million will also buy some long-range ATACMS missiles, which can strike targets at a distance of 300 kilometres (186 miles), and rockets of shorter range.

Lithuania's Baltic neighbours Latvia and Estonia are also planning to buy HIMARS systems.

Lithuania's defence ministry said this "will strengthen the security not only of Lithuania, but also of the entire region".


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
NASA picks Firefly Aerospace for ambitious 2029 lunar rover and instrument delivery
Team led by MDA Space to define future of Canadian lunar vehicle program
Lunar soil machine developed to build bricks using sunlight

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Designing compact drones to safely navigate air ducts
Map Africa project to deliver continentwide geospatial data for 54 nations
The complex relationship between fusion fuel and lithium walls

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Boeing X37B Spaceplane Prepares for Eighth Orbital Test Mission
Israel military intercepts Huthi missile fired from Yemen; Gaza civil defence says Israel strikes kill 30
BlackSky secures next stage of Navy contract for optical satellite link upgrades

24/7 News Coverage
Cosmic dust particles reveal snapshot of Earth's ancient air
Spire to Provide ESA with Satellite Weather Data for European Research
Gaza seen from above: debris and darkness



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.