Lithuania’s sole ammunition manufacturer and the only such producer in the Baltic states began construction on a €36-million second production line that will double the factory’s capacity and open the way for exports to Asia and Africa.
Giraitės ginkluotės gamykla, or Giraitė Armament Plant, currently employs about 120 people. The expansion is expected to increase its workforce to 200, with the additional 80 employees to be hired beginning in the fourth quarter of this year.
“The company has been limited in its growth in recent years because it could not produce more ammunition,” CEO Mindaugas Kurauskas told reporters at the plant in Giraitė on Friday. “That is why a decision was made at the state level to invest in a second line, and today we officially begin construction.”
The second line is expected to be installed in the third quarter of 2027, with both lines operating at full capacity from 2028. Production capacity will rise to 500 rounds per minute, twice the current level.
“Lithuania certainly does not need that much ammunition, so we are taking major steps to expand our geography. Africa and Asia are the main regions where we would like to focus,” Kurauskas said.
