Lithuania Plans to Spend EUR 500 Million on Anti-Tank Mines

Lithuania plans to spend EUR 500 million on the purchase of anti-tank mines over the next decade.

LRT reported on this.

It is noted that preference will be given to domestic producers.

A total of five Lithuanian companies are currently considering participating in the Ministry of Defense’s tender for the supply of anti-tank mines.

“This will be the first time that Lithuania will produce Category A weapons in full or in part. This would be a real breakthrough for our defense industry,” Darius Antanaitis, co-founder of Ostaralab, reported.

However, according to the media, local defense companies are cautious about the upcoming tender. Representatives of the defense industry note that the technical conditions of the tender favor existing Polish models, which may leave Lithuanian developments out of the running.

“The conditions are very strict. To meet them, we have to completely redesign the mine to match the Polish model,” Vincas Jurgutis, a representative of the Lithuanian Defense and Security Industry Association, shared.

At the same time, Antanaitis disagrees with the claim that the tender is tailored to foreign mines: “I don’t think the technical requirements are designed for another country. The priority remains to support Lithuanian defense production, including mine production.”

Vice Minister of Defense Loreta Maskalivienė noted that the planned order involves tens of thousands of mines worth “many millions of euros.”

The Ministry of Defense assures that they are working to simplify participation for local producers. Amendments to the legislation that should support the defense industry have already been submitted to parliament, but according to industry representatives, reforms are moving slowly.

According to Maskalevienė, the demand for mines will only grow. In total, Lithuania plans to invest EUR 800 million in anti-tank and anti-personnel mines over the next ten years. Also, after the country officially withdraws from the Ottawa Convention, the government wants to announce a tender for the production of anti-personnel mines.

The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense is considering strengthening the border with Russia and Belarus by mining it. This will provide an additional layer of protection within the concept of counter-mobility, deterring the enemy for a longer period.