Air Defence Battalion | |
---|---|
Lithuanian: Oro gynybos batalionas | |
![]() Insignia | |
Active | 1935–1940 2000–present |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | Lithuanian Air Force |
Type | Anti-air |
Role | Air defence |
Size | Over 300 |
Garrison/HQ | Radviliškis |
Anniversaries | 1 September 2000 |
Equipment | NASAMS RBS-70 PZR Grom |
Commanders | |
Commander | plk.ltn. Andrius Konovalovas [1] |
The Air Defence Battalion is the main air defence unit of the Lithuanian Air Force. It was created as part of efforts to strengthen and organise the air defence capabilities of the Lithuanian Air Force (LTAF), in 2000.
The present Air Defence Battalion is considered to be a revival of a similar unit in the air force of independent Republic of Lithuania between the World Wars, active from 1935 to 1940.
In 1998, efforts to develop and strengthen the LTAF defence capabilities began under supervision of Col. Česlovas Braziulis. That same year, Swedish Defence officials offered to donate weaponry, technical documentation and training programmes to for a battalion. At this time, the idea of establishing the battalion started to become a reality.
From 1999 to 2000 a group of LTAF troops took studies in military training institutions units in Sweden, where they received theoretical knowledge and practical experience working with battalion weaponry.
In July 2000, the LTAF established the Air Defence Battalion. Lt. Col. Remigijus Daujotis was appointed as Commander of the Battalion.
In September 2000, the Battalion received the first consignment of combat equipment from Sweden. Another shipment of combat equipment and ammunition arrived at the end of 2000. According to the bilateral agreement with Sweden, Swedish advisers who help Lithuanians adapt to the battalion's equipment presently work in the Air Defence Battalion.
In June 2020 the first Battery of NASAMS (National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System) medium-range air defence systems procured from Norway was delivered to the Battalion. The personnel is planned to be fully trained by 2021 and integration of the systems into the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence System (NATINAMDS) will begin along with that. [2]
After February 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania has donated 2 NASAMS launchers, [3] FIM-92 Stinger MANPADS', [4] and 36 Bofors L70 anti-aircraft guns [5] to Ukraine.
The Air Defence Battalion's primary missions include:
Development of infrastructure is one key missions of the Air Defence Battalion currently in the stage of development.
Model | Image | Origin | Variant | Details | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Surface-to-air missile systems | ||||||
NASAMS | ![]() | ![]() | NASAMS 3 | Ordered from Norway, with AIM-120 AMRAAM (AIM-120C-8) [6] missiles and MPQ-64 Sentinel air search radar. [7] Delivered in 2020. 2 NASAMS launchers were donated to Ukraine in 2023. [3] More systems for €200 million were ordered in December 2023. [8] | ||
RBS-70 MSHORAD | ![]() | ![]() | RBS 70 NG RWS | MSHORAD system consists of RBS 70 NG Remote Weapon System (RWS) and command-radar vehicle with Saab Giraffe 1X / C2; the components are mounted on JLTV. Ordered from the Sweden in 2024, delivery 2025 – 2027. [9] [10] | ||
AN/TWQ-1 Avenger | ![]() | ![]() | Ordered from the United States in December 2022. [11] | |||
Man-portable air-defence systems | ||||||
RBS-70 | ![]() | ![]() | RBS 70 NG | Modernised to RBS-70 NG version. [12] | ||
FIM-92 Stinger | ![]() | ![]() | FIM-92 Stinger | Acquired in 2007 "Dual Mount Stinger" modification with missiles, trainers, test missiles, MPQ-64 Sentinel radars, tactical control centres and Humvee trucks for transportation. [13] [14] Some Stingers have been donated to Ukraine. [4] | ||
PZR Grom | ![]() | ![]() | Grom | |||
Radars | ||||||
Saab Giraffe | ![]() | ![]() | Giraffe Mk-IV | Part of the SHORAD units. | ||
AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel | ![]() | ![]() | Part of the short and medium range air defence systems. | |||
TRML-3D | ![]() | ![]() | TRML-3D/32 | Acquired in 2004 [15] | ||
The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile(AMRAAM) ( AM-ram) is an American beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. It uses active transmit-receive radar guidance instead of semi-active receive-only radar guidance. When an AMRAAM missile is launched, NATO pilots use the brevity code "Fox Three".
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia are the military forces organized for the defense of the Republic of Croatia and its allies by military means and for other forms of use and use in accordance with the domestic and international law. The Croatian Armed Forces protect the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Croatia and defend its territorial integrity.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Naval Force, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service becomes part of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
The IRIS-T is a family of short range infrared homing air-to-air and short to medium range surface-to-air missiles. It also is called AIM-2000.
RBS 70 is a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) designed for anti-aircraft warfare in all climate zones and with little to no support from other forces. Originally designed and manufactured by the Swedish defence firm of Bofors Defence. It uses the RB 70 missile, which is also in use in a number of other Swedish missile systems.
The Ukrainian Air Force is the air force of Ukraine and one of the eight branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU). Its current form was created in 2004 by merging the Ukrainian Air Defence Forces into the Air Force.
NASAMS is a short- to medium-range ground-based air defense system developed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) and RTX Corporation. The system defends against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), helicopters, cruise missiles, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), and fixed wing aircraft, firing any of a wide range of existing missiles.
The Hungarian Air Force, is the air force branch of the Hungarian Defence Forces.
The Lithuanian Air Force or LAF is the military aviation branch of the Lithuanian armed forces. It is formed from professional military servicemen and non-military personnel. Units are located at Zokniai Air Base near the city Šiauliai, at Radviliškis and Kaunas.
The Ukrainian Ground Forces, also referred to as the Ukrainian army, are the land forces of Ukraine and one of the eight branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They were formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Ukrainian independence, and trace their ancestry to the 1917–22 army of the Ukrainian People's Republic.
Short range air defense (SHORAD) is a group of anti-aircraft weapons and tactics that have to do with defense against low-altitude air threats, primarily helicopters and low-flying aircraft such as the A-10 or Sukhoi Su-25. SHORAD and its complements, HIMAD and THAAD divide air defense of the battlespace into domes of responsibility based on altitude and defensive weapon ranges.
The Slovak Air Force, known since 2002 as the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic, is the aviation and air defense branch of the Slovak Armed Forces. Operating 15 aircraft and 18 helicopters from three air bases : Malacky–Kuchyňa, Sliač, Prešov. It succeeded the Czechoslovak Air Force together with the Czech Air Force in 1993. The Slovak Air Force is part of NATO Integrated Air Defense System – NATINADS.
The Estonian Land Forces, unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense Forces where it has an offensive military formation role. The Estonian Land Forces is currently the largest Estonian military branch, with an average size of approximately 6,000 soldiers, conscripts, and officers during peacetime.
Lithuania–Ukraine relations are foreign relations between Lithuania and Ukraine. Both countries are members of the Lublin Triangle, OSCE, Council of Europe, World Trade Organization and United Nations. Lithuania supports Ukraine's European Union and NATO membership. Lithuania has an embassy in Kyiv and Ukraine has an embassy in Vilnius.
The Lithuanian Land Forces (LLF) form the backbone of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, capable of acting as an integral part of NATO forces. Lithuanian Land Forces consist of three brigades, the Engineer Battalion, and the National Defence Volunteers Division.
The Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania is government institution in Lithuania responsible for the organization of national defence.
Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) is a NATO-allied forward-deployed defense and deterrence military force in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. This posture in Northern Europe through Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and in Central Europe through Poland, Slovakia and Hungary and in Eastern Europe through Romania and Bulgaria, is in place to protect and reassure the security of NATO's Northern, Central and Eastern European member states on NATO's eastern flank.
The Ukrainian Air Defence Forces were an anti-aircraft military service of Ukraine, active from 1992 to 2004.
On 24 February 2022, the Lithuanian authorities declared a state of emergency in the country due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that he condemned the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, and also said that after Russia started a war against Ukraine, NATO should clearly state that Russia is a serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security.
As of this edit, this article uses content from "Lithuanian Armed Forces :: Structure » Air Force » Structure » Air Defence Battalion of the Lithuanian Air Forces" , which is licensed in a way that permits reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, but not under the GFDL. All relevant terms must be followed.
Based on the contracts between Lithuania and the U.S. Government, Lithuanian Air Force equipment pool has been strengthened with the Avenger short-range air defence system and NASAMS mid-range air defence system.