The President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda announced on his account on X that next month his country plans to transfer several NASAMS SAM launchers to Ukraine. He also added that he personally informed the Presdent of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy about this during today's visit to Kyiv to participate in events during the celebration of the Independence Day of Ukraine.
In itself, the news about the planned transfer of additional air defense equipment to Ukraine is extraordinary and wonderful for Ukraine. However, the figures showing Lithuania's efforts in this segment are even more impressive.
Read more: Take Chassis From Germans and NASAMS Elements from Norwegians, and You'll Get a SHORAD for IRIS-T or Even AIM-9X Missiles
For example, The Military Balance 2023 indicates that the Lithuanian army currently has 4 NASAMS III SAM systems, i.e. the latest modification, which can use AMRAAM ER missiles with a firing range of up to 40 km.
Usually, the NASAMS system includes three launchers, a control vehicle and a radar. It follows that Lithuania itself can have only 12 NASAMS launchers at its disposal. Against this background, "several" launchers for Ukraine, regardless of the actual number, it can be a minimum of more than 20% of such air defense equipment available to the Lithuanians themselves.
Of course, in this story, Lithuania can transfer launchers to NASAMS not from its own stock, but from those purchased on the foreign market. But even against this background, it turns out that in this way the Lithuanians could strengthen their air defense by at least more than 20% of the available number of launchers for NASAMS air defense systems, but instead they spend their resources to further strengthen the air defense of Ukraine.
That, in general, demonstrates the scale of Lithuania's efforts to strengthen the protection of Ukraine’s sky, even if these efforts look imperceptible at first glance.
As Defense Express reported, Ukraine Hopes to Get Long-range Missiles, SAM Systems from France While the Country Triple Production and Delivery Pace.
Read more: Some of Ukrainian NASAMS Air Defense Systems Were Out of Order Due to Repairs, Operator Says
