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Lithuania will pay LTL 181 million to the US government for the helicopter platform over five years. The United States government has allocated around 26 million euros. euro support. The first helicopters should arrive in Lithuania by the end of 2024.
The agreement was signed by Raimund Karoblis, the visiting Washington Minister of National Defense, and Christopher C. Miller, the US Defense Secretary, and Vita Ramanauskaitė, a spokesman for the minister, told BNS.
Lithuania announced plans to buy Black Hawk helicopters a year ago. It was originally planned to buy six helicopters, but during negotiations it was decided to buy four. Lithuania will be able to buy two more helicopters in the future.
Under the agreement, Lithuania will receive four UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters with additional equipment, spare parts, training, repair and logistics package.
The new helicopter platform will replace the Mi-8T used in the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
„Reuters“ / „Scanpix“ nuotr./Sraigtasparnis „Black Hawk“
According to the Armed Forces, the new helicopters will allow the Lithuanian Armed Forces to carry out military training more effectively, use them to provide infantry support from the air, rapid launch of small military units, medical evacuation and other tasks.
They will also enable more efficient peacetime tasks such as search and rescue, emergency transport for organ transplants, and fire fighting.
The Ministry of National Defense says the new platform will also enhance synergies with strategic and regional allies. The platform of the same manufacturer has been acquired by the armed forces of thirty countries of the world, such as Denmark, Latvia, Poland, Sweden. This will expand opportunities for exercises and joint operations with larger groups of troops, along with partners who also have Black Hawks in their arsenal.
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