Lithuania Boosts Air Defense Around Capital With NASAMS Systems

The Lithuanian Armed Forces have deployed medium-range NASAMS air defense systems around Vilnius.

Lithuanian Armed Forces Commander Raimundas Vaikšnoras told BNS that the NASAMS systems will replace the shorter-range RBS-70 systems.

The move comes amid increasingly frequent Russian drone attacks targeting NATO’s eastern member states.

“We replaced our short-range RBS-70 system with NASAMS, and today the approaches to Vilnius are protected much more effectively, with greater capability and at a longer range,” Raimundas Vaikšnoras said in an interview with BNS.

The Lithuanian Armed Forces commander-in-chief compared the missiles to those used by fighter jets participating in the Baltic Air Policing mission and said that, at present, they are the most effective means of countering drones over the country.

Lithuania currently has two NASAMS batteries, with a third expected to arrive in the country in 2028.

In April, Lithuania received two NASAMS launchers from the Norwegian company Kongsberg.

The air defense upgrades come amid reports from Lithuania’s military intelligence that Russia is using captured Ukrainian drones to attack critical infrastructure in the Baltic country.

According to Colonel Per Steinar Trøite, head of the Norwegian Air Force’s Ukraine support group, NASAMS has an interception rate of up to 94% against airborne targets.

NASAMS systems operated by the Ukrainian Air Force have destroyed around 900 aerial targets, 60% of which were cruise missiles.

In November 2023, Lithuania delivered two NASAMS launchers and crew transport vehicles to Ukraine.