Lithuania to purchase Polish anti-drone systems to protect the energy sector

Lithuania has chosen Polish electronic countermeasures and kinetic interception systems from Advanced Protection Systems for the anti-drone defense of strategic facilities.

The Ministry of National Defense of Lithuania reported this.

The Defense Ministry announced the selection of the Polish anti-drone system from Advanced Protection Systems after comparing the proposals of three suppliers.

The defense procurement authorities are expected to finalize the contract for the supply of anti-drone systems shortly. However, the Lithuanian army will not be the final recipient of the equipment, as the procurement is being carried out at the request of the Ministry of Energy at the expense of energy companies.

Judging by the context, in peacetime, they will be used by security personnel at energy facilities and handed over to the military in the event of armed aggression.

“In the event of aggression against Lithuania, the Lithuanian Armed Forces will take over the management of anti-drone systems at energy facilities, integrating them into a common air defense system. This decision strengthens the country’s overall defense capabilities, especially given the rapid development of drone technology and the challenges it poses to critical infrastructure security,” Minister of National Defense Dovilė Šakalienė stated.

The systems to be procured should provide continuous detection and location of drones and their operators, as well as prevent them from entering protected areas.

The anti-drone system will include detection technologies, including radars, radio frequency detectors, optical, and infrared sensors. And electronic warfare, kinetic solutions, and methods of jamming or replacing GPS will be used for neutralization.

Advanced Protection Systems supplies FIELDCtrl drone detection systems and a set of countermeasures called SKYCtrl, which are supplied to several European countries and used by the Ukrainian military to fight against Russian UAVs.

The SKYCtrl system comes in a variety of configurations, including integrated 30mm Bushmaster II cannons. However, given the context, the kinetic interception of drones will be provided by the company’s newly developed interceptor drone, which was described by Militarnyi’s correspondents at the Defence24Days forum.

Such drones are controlled by FIELDctrl radars in combination with video tracking technology. They can operate in groups, exchanging data to distribute targets and neutralize swarms of drones.

Unlike exclusively military vehicles, these drones have a dual purpose, as they do not carry explosives, and therefore can be purchased not only by paramilitary groups. At its maximum speed, the 1.5-kilogram drone crashes into the target, delivering an impact with an energy of about 2,000 joules.

“Our interceptor drone was originally created as a means of protecting critical infrastructure – something kinetic and destructive, but at the same time, legally permitted. It won’t completely destroy the notional Shahed, but it can hit it and prevent it from getting closer to the target,” the company’s representatives state, pointing to footage of successful interceptions of smaller objects.

The drone’s flight range is limited to 1500 meters. It is guided in the direction of the target in coordination with the ground-based radars of the system, and then captured at the final stage by an onboard optical camera with machine vision algorithms.

The company believes that the interceptor is a cost-effective addition to other neutralization tools of the SKYctrl system. This technology will provide users with an effective solution for protecting territories and critical infrastructure.