Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė signed a document confirming Lithuania’s commitment to purchasing German Leopard tanks during her first official visit to Berlin on Monday.
Lithuania will acquire 44 tanks, Ignas Grinevičius, the minister’s spokesperson, told BNS.
With increased defence spending, talks are also underway to secure an earlier delivery date.
“In our meeting with the head of [the tank manufacturer] KNDS, we discussed the industry’s capacity to produce and deliver the tanks by 2030. We will continue talks in Lithuania in the near future,” Šakalienė said in her comment to BNS.
The minister said earlier in a press release that the tank purchase marks “a new important step of modernisation of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and strengthening Lithuania’s national capabilities, as well as enhancing integration and interoperability with the Armed Forces of Germany”.
Lithuania made the decision to purchase the German-made tanks earlier this year as part of its efforts to develop a national division. The procurement will likely be phased to accelerate the acquisition of air defence weapons.
Under the initial agreement, the first tank company is expected to arrive in Lithuania in 2029, with a full battalion to be formed in 2034.
Lithuania wants to bring the tank delivery date forward as it aims to have a fully operational national division by 2030. However, defence officials estimate that, at current funding levels, this goal could only be achieved between 2036 and 2040.
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