A German manufacturer company, Lithuania Defense Services (LDS), has been established in Jonava: it will provide logistical and technical maintenance for Lithuanian Armed Forces and NATO Allies’ military vehicles at a new service facility.
The company is set to primarily provide services for the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ Vilkas Infantry Fighting Vehicles, a Lithuanian version of the Boxer multirole wheeled armoured vehicle.
“One of our key conditions when procuring military equipment is quality maintenance and a speedy spare part delivery to our country. We have been convincing German companies to invest in Lithuania for over a year and we finally have the results. Next step is cooperation between companies of Lithuania and the manufacturer country and production of some of the components here,” says Vice Minister of National Defence Vilius Semeška.
According to Vice Minister, the facility opens just in time, as Lithuania is looking to order over a 100 additional Boxer vehicles.
The modern logistical and technical service facility is established in a strategic location, next to Rukla, where the largest military base in Lithuania is located and accommodates the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group. The facility also is directly connected via railway which facilitate arrival of the serviced equipment.
Lithuania Defense Services has been established by Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, it will also take care of the military equipment of the other Baltic states and NATO forces deployed in the region. That includes other Boxer systems, Puma IFVs, Bergepanzer 3 Büffel/Buffalo armored demining vehicles, different versions of Leopard 2 tank and self-propelled PzH 2000T.
Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann are the manufacturers of all the original equipment mentioned above and has a marked advantage in quality services it will provide to the Lithuanian Armed Forces and NATO allies.
“Presence of manufacturers of the original equipment here on the ground enhances the conditions for NATO presence – response time, supply chain quality,” says Vice Minister.
