Lithuania will pilot the newly-acquired NASAMS medium-range air defense system during a NATO exercise of the Tobruq Legacy series in September, the Lithuanian Presidency said in a press release on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th July, 2020) Lithuania will pilot the newly-acquired NASAMS medium-range air defense system during a NATO exercise of the Tobruq Legacy series in September, the Lithuanian Presidency said in a press release on Tuesday.
President Gitanas Nauseda made the statement during a visit to a NATO air base in the northern Lithuanian city of Siauliai, hosting troops from Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
"The President emphasized that Lithuania sought to further strengthen its air defense capabilities and saw this as a priority. Therefore, the acquisition of ground-based medium-range air defense system NASAMS is underway, which should be completed in 2021. For the first time, the elements of the NASAMS system will be tested in our country this year, in the international exercise 'Tobruq Legacy 2020' to be held in Lithuania, in September," the press release read.
According to Nauseda, the testing pursues to assert the country's deterrence in the face of "the potential opponent" against an "event of aggression."
In 2017, Lithuania's Defense Ministry purchased the NASAMS air defense system from the Norwegian company Kongsberg for 110 million Euros ($129 million).
