Lithuania’s Ministry of Defense has announced a state contract to develop an integrated airspace monitoring and control system utilizing artificial intelligence to detect unmanned aerial vehicles in real time.
The initiative, backed by an allocation of approximately 5 million euros, will combine data from military and civilian radars and diverse sensors into a single ecosystem to enhance aerial threat warnings. Scheduled across three phases, the project aims to integrate connected sensors and air defense assets into a unified airspace picture by 2027, with data shared directly with territorial authorities and critical infrastructure operators. LRT reports about this.
By 2028, the system is slated for integration with NATO ally data-sharing platforms, aligning with broader government programs to expand air surveillance and counter-UAS capabilities through the third quarter of 2028. The development follows recent military intelligence assessments regarding potential regional security risks, prompting the Lithuanian Armed Forces to deploy medium-range NASAMS air defense systems near Vilnius, supplemented by Sentinel radars received from Latvia and planned deployments of Ukrainian acoustic detection technology.
