Lithuania and Northrop Grumman sign IFV ammunition pact

BELFAST — Lithuania and Northrop Grumman inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today committing the US manufacturer to support local suppliers in the production of medium-caliber ammunition for Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs).

In a company statement, Northrop said that the new pact allows it to “share technologies and advanced manufacturing expertise with Lithuanian industry, consistent with United States policy.”

The firm added that helping “allies’ indigenous defense industrial capabilities is key to replenishing stockpiles and enhancing the munitions supply chains” amid demand for artillery shells spiking dramatically in response to the Ukraine war.

Lithuania shares a border with the Russian enclave Kaliningrad and has consistently supplied Ukraine with military aid over the course of the war, including 155mm ammunition, M577 armored personnel carriers, drone-jamming systems and ammunition for Carl Gustaf anti-tank recoilless rifles. Vilnius also plans on increasing defense spending in 2025 to 3 percent GDP, above the NATO target of 2 percent.

“This project [with Northrop Grumman], while also strengthening the long-standing close relationship between Lithuania and the US, will create clear value for Lithuania and for our region as a whole, which in the face of security challenges has an interest in minimising dependence on long supply chains,” said Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Lithuania’s defence minister, per Northrop’s company release.

“By integrating advanced American technologies, we are not only strengthening our national security, but also paving the way for future innovations in [the] defence industry.”

Lithuania’s state-owned Giraitė Armaments Plant is also set to join the ammunition production project alongside Northrop, according to Gintarė Skaistė, Lithuania’s finance minister.

As part of a €670 million ($745 million) acquisition, the Baltic state operates 89 Boxer IFVs, designated Vilkas (Wolf) in national service, the last of which were delivered at the end of 2023. Vilnius has long expressed interest in ordering an additional 120 platforms, opening negotiations with Boxer manufacturer ARTEC in 2022, but a contract has still to be signed.

The vehicles are equipped with Israel’s Rafael Samson Mk II remote controlled weapons stations and Spike LR anti-tank missiles, and Northrop-made Bushmaster MK44S 30mm chain guns.

The agreement with Northrop comes five months after Lithuania similarly signed a memorandum of intent with Germany’s Rheinmetall to open a 155mm artillery shell factory.

The future facility is set to become the first of its kind to be established under new regulations relating to the development of large-scale Lithuanian defense projects.