From next year, Lithuanian public institutions will not be allowed to use equipment from “untrustworthy countries”, meaning no more Chinese phones, cameras, or drones. Replacing some of it is proving a challenge.
Computers, phones, and other equipment are being replaced in almost all institutions. Their representatives say it is clear that alternatives are much more expensive. Drones are the most difficult – it is not just sometimes that prices vary. There are very few alternatives.
Challenges in the drone market
Drones produced by Unmanned Defence Systems have been successful in Ukraine, passing their demanding requirements and tests. The company is one of five Lithuanian manufacturers with which the Ministry of Defence is expected to conclude contracts soon.
Initially, the Lithuanian government will be buying drones for Ukraine. There is also an opportunity for the Lithuanian Armed Forces to purchase them.
According to Vytenis Buzas, the company’s CEO, the drones will not only have to comply with NATO standards but also with the new rule that comes into effect next year: no components must come from China.
“It took us a year and a half to purge fixed-wing aircraft completely of Chinese components. Down to the bolt level, we no longer have any Chinese stuff, let alone electronics. It was not easy, but it is possible. You have to invest time and money, and inevitably the product becomes more expensive,” says Buzas, CEO of Unmanned Defence Systems.
From 2025, public authorities will have to remove any equipment produced by countries that could, in the government’s view, pose a threat to national security. Most such equipment comes from China.
Exceptions are made for the military. According to the defence minister, Chinese-made drones can be purchased to be sent to Ukraine. There are also research and efforts to develop alternatives.
The armed forces have until next April to carry out such research.
“Even in the current situation, at the current technological state of drones, we can buy [Chinese] drones for the Lithuanian armed forces as a kind of exception allowed in the government’s decision. These purchases are meant to get them out of dependence on Chinese technology,” insists Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas. “There’s less and less of that.”
The problem is that the drone market is dominated by Chinese manufacturers that offer a wide range of products: drones for surveillance, filming, and photography. The alternatives are either much more expensive or cannot offer the same technical capabilities.
Chinese cameras are still around
The Interior Ministry and services under its command – the Police, the Fire and Rescue Department, the Border Guard Service – have been phasing out Chinese phones, computers, drones, and surveillance systems for some time now.
But replacing CCTV cameras is proving a challenge. “Maybe two-thirds of the cameras have been replaced by the Police Department, old Chinese cameras are still used to protect physical objects. But the Police Department is committed to replacing them as soon as possible,” says Deputy Interior Minister Arnoldas Abramavičius.
Vilnius Municipality is also struggling, as one-third of the CCTV cameras used by the city are Chinese-made. Replacing them all by the end of the year will be impossible, says Administration Director Adomas Bužinskas.
Moreover, there are still 130 computers used by municipal employees. And when it comes to renewing the city’s public transport fleet, Chinese buses are always on offer.
“During the market consultations we see that contractors who want to provide transport services keep asking whether it is not worth considering Chinese products because they will be faster, cheaper and everything else,” says Bužinskas. “Some of them question if we should look at buses from the PoV of national security. But I wouldn’t want someone to be able to turn them off.”
The Ministry of Defence has also received enquiries from private sector firms about how to deal with cases where Chinese components are simply impossible to replace. While it is relatively easy to find alternatives for most of the equipment, replacing Chinese drones is both difficult and expensive.
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