VILNIUS, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania is purchasing various types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for a total of 36 million euros (38.92 million U.S. dollars), according to Lithuania's Ministry of National Defense.
The Defence Materiel Agency has signed contracts for the purchase of small-class reconnaissance drones from Latvia's Edge Autonomy, mini-class reconnaissance drones from Estonia's Threod Systems, and micro-class (quadcopter) drones from Lithuania's Deftools, the ministry said in a press release on Thursday.
Most of the drones will be delivered this autumn, with the remainder arriving in early 2025.
The procurement is being fast-tracked to strengthen UAV capability and integrate the drones into the Lithuanian Armed Forces as quickly as possible.
Around 200 million euros are planned to be allocated for the acquisition of all types of UAVs by 2030, averaging 30 million euros per year, the ministry added. (1 euro = 1.08 U.S. dollars) ■