Lithuania purchases 300 JLTV armored vehicles

The Armed Forces of Lithuania are additionally purchasing 300 American-made JLTV armored vehicles.

The Ministry of Defense of Lithuania reports about this.

This week, the Defense Resources Agency under the Ministry of National Defense of Lithuania signed a new contract with the US government. The agreement’s value was not specified by the Ministry.

Additional 300 tactical vehicles will be purchased along with the 200 units being purchased under the contract from 2019. The country will receive a total of 500 vehicles.

The Ministry of Defense notes that the new equipment will significantly strengthen the current capabilities of the Lithuanian military, and increase their mobility, security of personnel, and combat power of the army.

“This additional purchase of 300 armored vehicles from the USA is one of the most important steps in upgrading the Lithuanian military. Our military cooperation with the USA is growing, and together, we could contribute to the security of NATO’s eastern flank,” stated Arvydas Anušauskas, Minister of National Defense of Lithuania.

The first JLTVs under the new deal will be delivered to Lithuania in 2023. The entire purchase is planned to be completed by the end of 2024. Armored vehicles will be armed with 12.7 mm M2 QCB machine guns.

JLTV armored vehicles will be supplied to the Geležinis Vilkas (“Iron Wolf”) and Žemaitija (“Žemaitija”) brigades of the Armed Forces of Lithuania. Priority will be given to the national rapid response forces.

Last August, the Lithuanian military received the first batch of JLTV armored vehicles produced by the American Oshkosh Defense. The intention to purchase American JLTV vehicles was first announced in 2017 when during conducting tests in Lithuania, this particular model was ahead of nine other armored vehicles offered to the national army. The application to purchase the JLTV was submitted by Lithuania to the USA at the end of February 2019.

The JLTV armored vehicle was designed as a highly mobile and armored vehicle to replace the HMMWV, which was introduced to the service in the 1980s and lacked the armor protection currently required by the US.

The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program aimed to develop a new military off-road vehicle. It was launched in the 2000s. As a result of it, in August 2015, Oshkosh Corporation’s L-ATV armored vehicle was selected.

On January 25, the American company Oshkosh Defense presented a silent version of the JLTV tactical armored vehicle equipped with a hybrid-electric power plant, which was named eJLTV.