Lithuania Receives Sentinel Radars From Latvia Free of Charge

Latvia has transferred Sentinel radar systems to Lithuania free of charge.

The Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense reported the transfer.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said that the Sentinel radars will improve the effectiveness of NASAMS air defense systems.

According to the ministry, Latvia is using alternative systems to provide its air defense capabilities and decided to transfer the radars following a proposal from the United States.

The ministry did not specify the number of radar units transferred or the delivery date.

Sentinel Radar and NASAMS Air Defense System

The Raytheon MPQ-64F1 Sentinel radar is a highly mobile, multifunctional X-band 3D pulse-Doppler radar system that provides 360-degree surveillance and can track and identify targets at ranges of up to 120 km.

NASAMS is a short- and medium-range ground-based air defense system developed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) and Raytheon. The system uses Raytheon’s AMRAAM missiles as its primary interceptors and is capable of engaging unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, cruise missiles and aircraft.

On April 13, Lithuania received two new NASAMS launchers from Norway’s KDA. The country began acquiring the air defense system in 2017.