New NASAMS Systems Arrive in Lithuania to Bolster its Air Defense

The Norwegian company Kongsberg has delivered new NASAMS air defense systems to Lithuania.

The Ministry of National Defence of Lithuania released a photo showing two launchers being delivered by truck.

The NASAMS is a medium-range air defense system manufactured in Norway, capable of destroying aircraft, helicopters, drones, and cruise missiles.

Lithuania has been procuring the NASAMS since 2017. It was then that the country signed its first contract for the NASAMS III with Kongsberg, worth €109 million.

On October 30, 2020, following successful tests, the NASAMS systems were officially handed over to the Lithuanian Armed Forces.

Subsequently, Lithuania expanded its air defense capabilities. On December 14, 2023, Kongsberg announced a contract with the Lithuanian government for another NASAMS package worth €200 million.

In 2024, Lithuania signed a €193 million contract for the supply of additional NASAMS air defense missile systems.

As part of this agreement, some of the NASAMS equipment purchased in 2017 will also be modernized.

In 2025, the Lithuanian government approved the allocation of an additional €187.7 million in borrowed funds for defense needs.

These funds were directed toward advance payments for new Boxer infantry fighting vehicles and NASAMS air defense missile systems.

This involves 27 additional Boxer IFVs, scheduled for delivery in 2027–2029, as well as NASAMS systems, which are to be delivered in 2028.

Separately, in October 2023, the US approved the sale to Lithuania of 36 AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM missiles and related equipment worth approximately $100 million for the NASAMS system.

NASAMS from Lithuania for Ukraine

In addition to its own purchases, Lithuania also placed parallel orders for the NASAMS for Ukraine.

Such a purchase specifically for Ukraine was announced for the first time in the summer of 2023, when the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense reported a contract with Kongsberg for the acquisition of two launchers.

The cost of this deal was €9.8 million for two units.

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine emphasized that these modernized NASAMS launchers are fully ready for integration into Ukraine’s air defense combat units, which are already using systems provided by Norway and the United States.

On November 10, 2023, Lithuania officially announced that the launchers and related equipment had arrived in Ukraine.