Lithuanian army to get more Vilkas IFV Infantry Fighting Vehicles.

As announced on its website by the Lithuanian MoD, on April 19, Vice Minister of National Defence Vilius Semeška and his delegation met with representatives of the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR), ARTEC consortium, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall in Munich to discuss further prospects of supplying Lithuania with Boxer Infantry Fighting Vehicles.
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Vilkas IFV of the Lithuanian army (Picture source: Lithuanian MoD)

“Preparation for the negotiations began early this year and today we are able to discuss concrete amounts, value and deadlines of a potential order. It is a rational decision, and effective in terms of the defense budget, to carry on with the same infantry fighting vehicle platform,” says V. Semeška. It has been made taking into account the lessons from the war against Ukraine as well.

According to Vice Minister, the contract for a new batch of armored vehicles is expected to be signed as soon as this summer. The Lithuanian Armed Forces will be reinforced with over 120 additional Infantry Fighting Vehicles of the Boxer type. Part of them will be armed with a 30 mm cannon, and the other part with a 12.7 mm machine gun.

Lithuanian Vice Minister of National Defence Vilius Semeška and his delegation met with representatives of the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR), ARTEC consortium, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall in Munich to discuss further prospects of supplying Lithuania with Boxer Infantry Fighting Vehicles. (Picture source: Lithuanian MoD)

The present negotiation is a follow-up of an option in the contract for the first delivery of these IFVs. The contract for the supply of 88 Boxers for Lithuania was signed in August 2016 and is worth 386 million euros. This contract provides for the supply of 84 wheeled infantry fighting vehicles and 4 command vehicles. They will be put into service in two motorized infantry battalions from the Iron Wolf motorized infantry brigade, where they will replace the obsolete M113 APCs. If the contract is signed, the delivery of a new batch of Vilkas Infantry Fighting Vehicles will start in late 2023 – early 2024.

The Vilkas already in service with the Lithuanian Armed Forces are equipped with an Israeli Samson Mk2 unmanned turret module from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, armed with a 30 mm Bushmaster II Mk44S automatic cannon and a connected 7.62 mm machine gun, and Israeli anti-armor Spike LR missiles, as well as with other specialized equipment and electronic systems. As part of the current purchase, some Vilkas will be armed with a 30 mm gun and others with a remotely controlled weapon module with a 12.7 mm machine gun.

The implementation of the contract is supervised and implemented by the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) of which Lithuania is a member. The organization manages and implements procurements, represents member states in negotiations with manufacturers and later on, during the armament production. It supervises Boxer armored vehicle acquisitions for Lithuania, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

As tweeted by the Lithuanian MoD, a contract has already been signed for the construction of the Infantry Fighting Vehicle workshop in Rukla, the largest workshop in Lithuania. The plan is to provide facilities for the repair of armored vehicles, repair of equipment, a technical inspection and painting facility.

The Vilkas already in service with the Lithuanian army are equipped with an Israeli Samson Mk2 unmanned turret module from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, armed with a 30 mm Bushmaster II Mk44S automatic cannon and a connected 7.62 mm machine gun, and Israeli anti-armor Spike LR missiles (Picture source: Twitter)