The United States is currently behind schedule in delivering HIMARS artillery systems to Lithuania, Raimundas Vaikšnoras, the country’s military chief, said on Thursday, adding that identical systems could be brought to Lithuania temporarily if needed.
"The HIMARS delivery has been pushed back. I can't say now by how much or for how long. That's entirely on the American side, probably related to their industry. But our crews have already completed their training and firing exercises, so we're waiting for the systems to arrive," Vaikšnoras told LRT TV in an interview on Thursday.
Lithuania signed a $495m contract with the US at the end of 2022 to acquire eight HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems. In April this year, Vilnius signed an amendment to purchase a second HIMARS battery for an additional $280m.
"I would also like to emphasise to the public that there is no need to be overly concerned, because we have agreements in place allowing us, while there are delays for various reasons, to temporarily bring identical systems to Lithuania. They could fill certain capability gaps," Vaikšnoras said.
According to the military chief, the military has reached an agreement with the Michigan National Guard on the possible temporary deployment of such systems.
