Lithuanian Air Force
The Lithuanian Air Force (Karinės oro pajėgos) dates its lineage to 12 March 1919, built its own ANBO aircraft between the wars and was liquidated by the Soviet occupiers in 1940; restored in 1992 with a single An-2, it has never owned a supersonic fighter, and instead hosts NATO’s Baltic Air Policing at Šiauliai — since 29 March 2004 — while it flies transports and rescue helicopters and builds up a NASAMS air defence.
The Lithuanian Air Force story: ANBO aircraft, the liquidation of 1940 and NATO’s fighters at Šiauliai
1919–1932: an air arm made from booty, purchases and home designs
Lithuanian military flying began in the middle of the wars of independence. On 30 January 1919 an engineering company with an aviation unit was formed under Konstantinas Fugalevičius, and on 12 March 1919 it became an independent Aviation Division — the date the service still keeps as its founding day. Eight LVG C.VI reconnaissance aircraft bought in Germany arrived on 27 February 1919; others were taken as booty and repaired in the army’s own workshops. The first Air Squadron was formed on 22 September 1920 under Lieutenant Jurgis Dobkevičius. The price was paid early: Vytautas Rauba died in a crash on 12 May 1920, and in October 1920, during Żeligowski’s seizure of Vilnius, Juozas Kumpis, commander of the First Air Squadron, was shot down and died a prisoner of the Poles. Dobkevičius himself, Lithuania’s first aircraft designer, was killed testing his Dobi III on 8 June 1926.
1933–1941: Lituanica, the ANBO tour and the liquidation
What made the small interwar air arm remarkable was that it designed its own aircraft. Antanas Gustaitis flew his self-funded ANBO-I in Kaunas on 14 July 1925; the series grew to nine types and, by the count of the specialist site Plieno sparnai, 66 aircraft. In 1934 three ANBO IVs under Gustaitis flew a 10,000-kilometre tour of European capitals. The national story of those years, though, is civil: on 15–17 July 1933 Steponas Darius, an air force captain, and Stasys Girėnas flew the Bellanca Lituanica 6,411 kilometres from New York in 37 hours 11 minutes, and died when it crashed at Soldin in Germany, 636 kilometres short of Kaunas. By mid-1940 the service had 117 aircraft, including Gloster Gladiators and Dewoitine D.501s bought in 1937. It never fought for Lithuania: after the Soviet occupation Gustaitis was made to chair the liquidation commission on 27 August 1940, and in October 1941 he was shot in Moscow.
1992–2004: starting again with an An-2 and four L-39s
The restored state began with almost nothing. The Aviation Service of the National Defence Service was re-established on 2 January 1992, airspace surveillance began on 27 April 1992, and on 12 June 1992 an An-2 marked with the double cross of Vytis took off from Barysiai — the day the Aviation Base still marks as its birthday. Germany donated two L-410 transports in 1992; four L-39C jet trainers came from Kyrgyzstan in February 1993, and on 1 March 1993 the service took the name Air Force. A second air base at Pajuostis near Panevėžys operated from 1993 to 2007, according to Wikipedia, and between 1995 and 1999 the main base moved to Zokniai, the old Soviet bomber field outside Šiauliai. The government gave the air force the national search and rescue task on 24 January 1996, and the three Baltic states agreed on 16 April 1998 to build a joint air surveillance network, BALTNET, coordinated from Karmėlava from 6 June 2000.
2004 to today: a country whose fighters are borrowed
The central fact about Lithuanian air power is that its fighters belong to other countries. Lithuania joined NATO on 29 March 2004, and at 16:47 that day Belgian F-16s landed at Šiauliai to begin the Baltic Air Policing mission; the Belgian commander later recalled that it was a bare base they had a few days to build. By its 20th anniversary in March 2024 the mission had reached its 64th rotation, with 17 allied nations having deployed, and Ämari in Estonia had been added in 2014. Lithuania’s own L-39ZAs took on national air policing tasks from 23 July 2004 The arrangement is cheap for Lithuania and has worked for two decades; the weakness is obvious — the country’s airspace depends on allied rotations, and until the 2020s its only answer on the ground was short-range missiles.
Transports, rescue and the end of the Soviet types
The air force’s own fleet has been built around transport and rescue. Three C-27J Spartans, ordered from Alenia Aeronautica on 23 June 2006 for about €75 million, arrived on 22 December 2006, 6 December 2008 and 12 October 2009 and carry the names Gediminas, Algirdas and Vytautas; a support contract with Leonardo followed on 18 December 2024. Three AS365N3+ Dauphin rescue helicopters, the first landing on 2 June 2015, stand alert with posts at Kaunas and Nemirsetė. The Soviet-built types have gone one by one: the Mi-8s are being replaced by four UH-60M Black Hawks ordered in November 2020, which the defence minister of the day called the end of the last Soviet relic aircraft, and the last L-39ZA was handed to Ukraine on 20 April 2024. The honest criticism is that pilot training on jets ended with the L-39, and no replacement has been announced on the official pages checked.
Air defence and money, 2022–2026: what changed and what is still missing
The money changed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The ministry spent €3,397.8 million on defence in 2025, 4.04 per cent of GDP, and the 2026 budget of €4,814.2 million is 5.37 per cent of GDP, a 41 per cent rise that the ministry calls the largest in the history of independent Lithuania and the highest share in NATO. Much of it goes to air defence: NASAMS, in service with the Air Defence Battalion at Radviliškis since 2020 per Wikipedia, was expanded under a €234 million contract of 3 October 2024, backed by RBS 70 NG, Piorun and new AIM-9X Sidewinders. In June 2025 the ministry opened talks on the Embraer C-390, and in July 2026 Lithuania joined NATO’s GlobalEye purchase to replace the AWACS. What is still missing is a fighter: in 2026 NATO itself was turning Baltic Air Policing into an air defence mission, with Italian Typhoons at Šiauliai from 31 July.
The Lithuanian Air Force in numbers
Service
- Native name
- Karinės oro pajėgosThe name the Lithuanian Armed Forces use on kariuomene.lt; the abbreviation KOP appears in the service’s own chronicle. English Wikipedia gives the longer form Lietuvos karinės oro pajėgos
- Founded
- 12 March 1919The Aviation Division became an independent unit on 12 March 1919. The modern service counts its restoration from 2 January 1992, when the Aviation Service was re-established; Wikipedia’s infobox gives 2 January 1991 and its text dates the Aviation Base staff order to 23 January 1992
- Part of
- Lithuanian Armed ForcesOne of the armed forces’ services, alongside the Land Forces and the Navy, under the Chief of Defence
- Headquarters
- KaunasThe air force page places the headquarters in Kaunas, with centres at Karmėlava; the contact address given is the armed forces’ Šv. Ignoto g. 8 in Vilnius
- Commander
- Col. Antanas MatutisNamed on the official commander page; appointment date not published there
- Minister of National Defence
- Robertas KaunasTook office on 11 November 2025, succeeding Dovilė Šakalienė
Strength
- Personnel
- About 1,500Wikipedia’s figure; the official pages checked give no total
- Combat aircraft
- NoneLithuania has never operated supersonic fighters since 1992. NATO allies police its airspace from Šiauliai; the last armed jet, the L-39ZA, was retired and the final example handed to Ukraine on 20 April 2024
- Transport aircraft
-
- C-27J Spartan — 3
- L-410 UVP Turbolet — 2
All with the Aviation Base at Šiauliai. The C-27Js arrived between 2006 and 2009; the L-410s were a German gift in 1992
- Helicopters
-
- AS365N3+ Dauphin — 3
- UH-60M Black Hawk — 2 of 4 (Wikipedia)
- Mi-8 — 1–2
The official aviation base page lists Dauphin and Mi-8T only. Wikipedia counts two UH-60Ms delivered of four ordered and one Mi-8MTV-1 left after two Mi-8s went to Ukraine; delivery dates were not found on official pages
- Ground-based air defence
- NASAMS, RBS 70 NG, Piorun and GROMWith the Air Defence Battalion at Radviliškis. A €234 million NASAMS contract was signed on 3 October 2024 and an RBS 70 NG contract of €130 million on 1 October 2024
- Defence budget
- €4,814.2 million (2026)5.37 per cent of GDP, up 41 per cent from €3,397.8 million (4.04 per cent) spent in 2025
Infrastructure
- Air base
-
- Šiauliai (Zokniai) — Aviation Base and NATO air policing
Lithuania’s only military air base, shared with a civil airport
- Search and rescue posts
-
- Kaunas
- Nemirsetė (Klaipėda district)
Detached posts of the Aviation Base
- Closed or former air bases
-
- Pajuostis (Panevėžys) — second air base 1993–2007
- Barysiai — first flights in 1992
- Kaunas (Aleksotas) — interwar main base
Pajuostis dates per Wikipedia
- Allied fighters
- NATO detachment at ŠiauliaiFour Italian Eurofighter Typhoons since 31 July 2026; 17 nations had deployed by March 2024. In 2026 NATO turned Baltic Air Policing into an air defence mission
- Airspace surveillance
- Airspace Surveillance and Control DirectorateFormed 27 April 1992; the regional BALTNET centre at Karmėlava opened on 6 June 2000
- Air Defence Battalion
- RadviliškisFormed 1 September 2000
How the Lithuanian Air Force is organised
A headquarters in Kaunas over the Aviation Base at Šiauliai, airspace surveillance and control at Karmėlava and the Air Defence Battalion at Radviliškis. Lithuania has never owned a supersonic fighter: the jets on alert at Šiauliai belong to the allies of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing, since 31 July 2026 four Italian Typhoons. The Aviation Base flies transports and rescue helicopters, with rescue posts at Kaunas and Nemirsetė.
Air Force Headquarters
In Kaunas, with centres at Karmėlava; one of the three services of the Lithuanian Armed Forces under the Chief of Defence. Col. Antanas Matutis is named as commander on the official page, which gives no appointment date.
Aviation Base
The air force’s flying unit, founded in 1992 and at Zokniai since 1995–1999: three C-27J Spartans, two L-410s, three AS365N3+ Dauphins, Mi-8s and UH-60M Black Hawks for transport and search and rescue, with rescue posts at Kaunas and Nemirsetė. It hosts NATO’s air policing detachment; the last Lithuanian jet, an L-39ZA, went to Ukraine on 20 April 2024.
Airspace Surveillance and Control Directorate
Airspace surveillance began on 27 April 1992; the regional BALTNET centre at Karmėlava opened on 6 June 2000.
Air Defence Battalion
Formed on 1 September 2000; NASAMS, RBS 70 NG, Piorun and GROM. Contracts for RBS 70 NG (€130 million) and more NASAMS (€234 million) were signed in October 2024, and AIM-9X Sidewinders for NASAMS were approved in April 2026.
What the Lithuanian Air Force flies today
Every type on charge, linked to its Book of Beasts page where one exists. Counts are aircraft on the books, not aircraft available on a given day.
| Type | Role | In service | Since | Units | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leonardo (Alenia) C-27J SpartanIn service | Tactical transport | 3 | 2006 | Three bought under a contract of 23 June 2006; all in service. | ||
| Let L-410 UVP TurboletIn service | Light transport and utility | 2 | 1992 | Two, built in 1982. | ||
| Airbus Helicopters (Eurocopter) AS365N3+ DauphinIn service | Search and rescue helicopter | 3 | 2015 | Three. | ||
| Sikorsky UH-60M Black HawkIn service | Utility helicopter | 2 | Four ordered in November 2020 with an option on two more; Wikipedia counts two in service. Delivery dates were not confirmed on the official pages checked. | |||
| Mil Mi-8T and Mi-8MTV (Mi-17)In service | Transport and rescue helicopter | 1–2. The Aviation Base lists the Mi-8T and the armed forces list both the Mi-8T and Mi-8MTV; Wikipedia counts one Mi-8MTV-1 after two were given to Ukraine before August 2023. |
On order
| Type | Ordered | First delivery | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sikorsky UH-60M Black HawkOn order | 2 | 2024 | The balance of four ordered in November 2020, if Wikipedia’s count of two in service is right; the option on two more was not reported as taken up on the pages checked. | |
| Embraer C-390 MillenniumOn order | Not yet an order: the ministry opened purchase talks on 19 June 2025 after an evaluation, citing a 23-tonne payload and delivery in about three years.
MoreNo contract was announced in the ministry’s acquisitions news up to August 2026. |
|||
| Saab GlobalEye (NATO Alliance Future Surveillance and Control)On order | 2030 | A NATO collective purchase joined by Lithuania and ten other allies on 9 July 2026, about €5 billion in all, to replace the E-3A AWACS from 2030–2031. Pooled, not Lithuanian-owned. |
Every type the Lithuanian Air Force has retired
16 types, from the LVG C.VI to the Aero L-39C and L-39ZA Albatros. Peak figures are airframes taken on charge over the whole service life, not fleet strength on any one date.
| Type | Role | Peak | Served | Replaced by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aero L-39C and L-39ZA Albatros | Jet trainer and light attack | 1993–2024 | Four L-39Cs came from Kyrgyzstan in February 1993; the number of L-39ZAs was not confirmed on an official page. | |||
| ANBO IV and ANBO 41 | Reconnaissance and light bomber | 32 | 1934–1940 | Mid-1940 inventory: 12 ANBO IV and 20 ANBO 41 per Wikipedia’s table; the ANBO IV article says 14 ANBO IVs were built. | ||
| ANBO III, V, 51 and VI trainers | Trainers | 25 | 1929–1940 | Mid-1940: 9 ANBO III, 13 ANBO V/51 and 3 ANBO VI per Wikipedia. Plieno sparnai counts 66 ANBO aircraft of nine types in all. | ||
| ANBO VIII | Light bomber prototype | 1 | 1939–1940 | One. | ||
| Dewoitine D.501 | Fighter | 13 | 1937–1940 | 13 in the mid-1940 inventory. | ||
| Gloster Gladiator | Fighter | 1937–1940 | 12–14: Wikipedia’s table gives 14 acquired in 1937 and 12 in the mid-1940 inventory. | |||
| Fiat CR.20 | Fighter | 7 | Seven in the mid-1940 inventory. | |||
| LVG C.VI | Reconnaissance | 8 | 1919–1940 | Eight new aircraft received on 27 February 1919; two were still in the mid-1940 inventory. | ||
| de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide | Transport and liaison | 2 | Two in the mid-1940 inventory. | |||
| Avro 626 | Trainer | 3 | Three in the mid-1940 inventory. | |||
| Bücker Bü 133 Jungmeister | Aerobatic trainer | 6 | Six in the mid-1940 inventory. | |||
| Ansaldo A.120 | Trainer and reconnaissance | Fewer than five in the mid-1940 inventory. | ||||
| Antonov An-2 | Light transport | 1992– | ||||
| Antonov An-26 | Transport | C-27J | ||||
| Mil Mi-2 | Light helicopter | |||||
| PZL-104 Wilga | Liaison |
Where the Lithuanian Air Force flies from
Black pins are active bases, hollow pins the ones that have closed. Šiauliai is Lithuania’s only military air base, and the fighters on it are allied: NATO detachments have stood alert there since four Belgian F-16s landed on 29 March 2004. Kaunas and Nemirsetė are search and rescue posts; Pajuostis, the second air base, ended flying in 2007, and Barysiai, Kaunas-Aleksotas and Palanga are listed for their place in the air force’s history. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ŠiauliaiŠiauliai County (Šiaulių apskritis) | EYSA | Active | 14L/32R3,500 mconcrete and asphalt14R/32L3,244 mconcrete and asphalt |
|
| Kaunas search and rescue postKaunas AirportKaunas County (Kauno apskritis) | EYKA | Active | 08/263,250 m |
|
| Nemirsetė search and rescue postKlaipėda County (Klaipėdos apskritis) | Active |
|
||
| Barysiai airfield | Closed |
|
||
| PajuostisPanevėžysPanevėžys County (Panevėžio apskritis) | EYPP | Closed 2007 | 13/312,000 mconcrete |
|
| Palanga airfieldKlaipėda County (Klaipėdos apskritis) | EYPA | Closed 1963 | 01/192,280 m |
|
| Kaunas Aleksotas airfieldS. Darius and S. Girėnas AirportKaunas County (Kauno apskritis) | EYKS | Closed 1940 | 09R/27L1,130 m |
|
No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the Lithuanian Air Force
Flying units by base, current units first. The Aviation Base is the only Lithuanian flying unit; the rotating NATO detachment at Šiauliai and the Soviet regiment at Pajuostis are listed too, each marked as not Lithuanian. Where a date or a type rests on Wikipedia alone, the entry says so.
- Aviation Base (Aviacijos bazė)Air base and flying unit · active
- C-27J Spartan, L-410 UVP Turbolet, AS365N3+ Dauphin, Mi-8T, UH-60M Black Hawk
- Armament and Equipment Repair Depot (Ginkluotės ir technikos remonto depas)Maintenance depot · active
- NATO Baltic Air Policing detachment (rotating allied unit)Allied fighter detachment · allied
- Eurofighter Typhoon (Italian Air Force, since 31 July 2026)
- Interwar 3rd, 4th and 5th squadrons, Lithuanian Military Aviation1931–1940
- Aviation Base search and rescue post, KaunasSearch and rescue helicopter post · active
- Rescue helicopters (type at this post not stated)
- Aviation Base search and rescue post, NemirsetėSearch and rescue helicopter post · active
- Rescue helicopters (type at this post not stated)
No unit matches that search.
Lithuanian Air Force milestones, 1914 to today
27 February: eight LVG C.VI aircraft arrive from Germany. 12 March: the Aviation Division becomes an independent unit, the service’s founding day.
12 May: Vytautas Rauba becomes the first Lithuanian airman killed. 22 September: the first Air Squadron is formed under Lt. Jurgis Dobkevičius. October: Juozas Kumpis is shot down by Polish forces.
14 July: Antanas Gustaitis flies his ANBO-I at Kaunas, the first of the ANBO series.
1 August: the Žokniai military aviation base near Šiauliai is established under Maj. Leonardas Peseckas.
15–17 July: Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas fly Lituanica across the Atlantic and are killed near Soldin, Germany.
Three ANBO IVs under Col. Gustaitis fly a 10,000 km tour of Europe.
Gloster Gladiator and Dewoitine D.501 fighters are bought (Wikipedia).
27 August: Gustaitis is forced to chair the Soviet liquidation commission; the air arm, 117 aircraft in mid-1940, is absorbed into Soviet units.
2 January: the Aviation Service is restored. 27 April: airspace surveillance begins. 12 June: an An-2 flies from Barysiai with Lithuanian markings.
February: four L-39Cs arrive from Kyrgyzstan. 1 March: the Aviation Service becomes the Lithuanian Air Force.
24 January: the government gives the air force the search and rescue task.
6 June: the BALTNET regional airspace surveillance centre opens at Karmėlava. 1 September: the Air Defence Battalion is formed.
29 March: Lithuania joins NATO and Belgian F-16s land at Šiauliai to start Baltic Air Policing. 23 July: L-39ZAs begin national air policing tasks.
23 June: three C-27Js ordered; the first lands at Šiauliai on 22 December.
2 June: the first AS365N3+ Dauphin rescue helicopter arrives.
NASAMS enters service (Wikipedia). November: four UH-60M Black Hawks ordered.
28 March: 20 years of Baltic Air Policing, 64th rotation. 20 April: the last L-39ZA is handed to Ukraine. 3 October: €234 million NASAMS contract.
Defence budget reaches 5.37 per cent of GDP. 9 July: Lithuania joins NATO’s GlobalEye purchase. 31 July: Italian Typhoons take over at Šiauliai as air policing becomes an air defence mission.
Every war the Lithuanian Air Force has fought
Sorties and losses where the record gives them, and an honest blank where it does not.
- Lithuanian Wars of Independence 1919–1920 Flew reconnaissance and liaison for the army in the fighting against the Red Army and Polish forces
- Soviet occupation and liquidation 1940–1941 Did not resist; the government accepted the Soviet ultimatum of June 1940 and the air arm was dissolved
- NATO Baltic Air Policing and national air policing 2004– Hosts allied fighter detachments at Šiauliai and, from 23 July 2004 until the L-39 was retired, flew national air policing tasks with L-39ZAs
Lithuanian Air Force news from Afterburner
Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the Lithuanian Air Force and the aircraft it flies. This list refreshes itself — new Afterburner stories appear here automatically.
Everything people ask about the Lithuanian Air Force
What is the Lithuanian Air Force called in Lithuanian?
Does Lithuania have fighter jets?
What aircraft does the Lithuanian Air Force fly in 2026?
What is Baltic Air Policing?
When was the Lithuanian Air Force founded?
What were the ANBO aircraft?
Who were Darius and Girėnas?
Where is the Lithuanian Air Force based?
Does Lithuania have air defence?
How much does Lithuania spend on defence?
Read the aircraft the Lithuanian Air Force flew
Every type with a page in the Book of Beasts, in service first, then by the year it left the fleet.
Every fact, checked
- Lietuvos kariuomenė: Karinės oro pajėgosMission, headquarters in Kaunas and Karmėlava, five units, air defence systems (NASAMS, RBS 70, GROM).
- Lietuvos kariuomenė: Karinės oro pajėgos – IstorijaKey dates 1919–2004: Aviation Division 12 March 1919; Žokniai base 1 August 1931; Lituanica; 1934 tour; liquidation 27 August 1940; restoration 2 January 1992; BAP 29 March 2004.
- Lietuvos kariuomenė: Karinės oro pajėgos – MetraštisChronicle: SAR task 24 January 1996, BALTNET 1998, RASCC 6 June 2000, L-39ZA air policing 23 July 2004, TRML-3D radars, C-27J contract 23 June 2006, first Dauphin 2 June 2015.
- Lietuvos kariuomenė: Karinių oro pajėgų vadasColonel Antanas Matutis; no appointment date.
- Lietuvos kariuomenė: Aviacijos bazėOperates Šiauliai military aerodrome; L-410, Mi-8T, C-27J, AS365N3+; SAR posts at Kaunas and Nemirsetė; host nation support for NATO.
- Lietuvos kariuomenė: NATO oro policijos misijaMission since March 2004; participating nations; Ämari since 2014.
- Lietuvos kariuomenė: OrlaiviaiAircraft list: AS365N3+, Mi-8, C-27J, L-410 (no UH-60 listed).
- Lietuvos kariuomenė: Transportinis lėktuvas C-27J SpartanContract June 2006, about €75 million; deliveries 22 December 2006, 6 December 2008, 12 October 2009; names.
- Lietuvos kariuomenė: Sraigtasparnis Mi-8Mi-8MTV (Mi-17) and Mi-8T; tasks.
- Lietuvos kariuomenė: Transportinis lėktuvas L-410 UVP TurboletTwo, donated by Germany in 1992, built 1982, overhauled 2006.
- Lietuvos kariuomenė: Sraigtasparnis AS365N3+ DauphinSearch and rescue helicopter; specifications.
- Lietuvos kariuomenė: Oro gynybos sistema NASAMSNASAMS composition and integration with Giraffe radars and RBS 70.
- Ministry of National Defence: Minister of National DefenceRobertas Kaunas.
- Ministry of National Defence: Transfer of the symbolic Baltic airspace key will mark the 20th anniversary of the NATO Air Policing Mission (28 March 2024)First Belgian F-16s landed at Šiauliai at 16:47 on 29 March 2004; 64th rotation; 17 nations.
- Ministry of National Defence: Symbolic transfer of the Baltic airspace key ceremony marks the 20th anniversary (29 March 2024)Quotes from Maj. Gen. Harold Van Pee and others; 64th rotation; 17 nations.
- Ministry of National Defence: Reinforcement lands in Šiauliai: the French integrate with the Italian Air Force NATO Air Policing Detachment (28 November 2024)Eight fighters; quote from Vaidotas Urbelis.
- Ministry of National Defence: Detachments conducting the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states changed over in Šiauliai (31 July 2026)Italian Typhoons replace French Rafales and Romanian F-16s; drones shot down; move to air defence.
- Ministry of National Defence: Data on interceptions of aircraft, 25 February–1 December 2024Two scrambles.
- Ministry of National Defence: Data on interceptions of aircraft, 21–27 September 2026Six alerts in one week.
- Ministry of National Defence: Talks on acquisition of military cargo aircraft opened (19 June 2025)Embraer C-390 selected for talks.
- Ministry of National Defence: Italian company will continue taking care of the Spartan aircraft (18 December 2024)€20 million C-27J support contract with Leonardo.
- Ministry of National Defence: Lithuania handed over an L-39ZA Albatros light ground attack support aircraft to Ukraine (22 April 2024)Handed over 20 April 2024, disassembled.
- Ministry of National Defence: Lithuania strengthens air defence (4 October 2024)RBS 70 NG €130 million (1 October 2024); NASAMS €234 million (3 October 2024).
- Ministry of National Defence: Lithuania will obtain more radars for the NASAMS system (17 July 2026)Sentinel radars from Latvia.
- Ministry of National Defence: United States greenlights Lithuania’s acquisition of approx. EUR 180 million worth of Sidewinder missiles (23 April 2026)AIM-9X Block II for NASAMS.
- Ministry of National Defence: Lithuania joins collective procurement of the next-generation NATO surveillance system (9 July 2026)Saab GlobalEye, about €5 billion, deliveries 2030–2031.
- Ministry of National Defence: Implementation of the national defence budget2025: €3,397.8 million, 4.04% of GDP; 2026: €4,814.2 million, 5.37%.
- Ministry of National Defence: National Defence Facts and Figures 2025 (PDF)Budget 2025–2026.
- Ministry of National Defence: Modernization of the Armed ForcesUH-60 acquisition continuing; air defence priorities; 2026 budget 5.37% of GDP.
- Ministry of National Defence: Lithuanian and Allied communications systems and other military infrastructure developed in Palanga and Šiauliai (4 June 2025)About 17 hectares at Šiauliai for allied units, NSIP and national funding.
- Defense News: Lithuania signs deal for its first American military helicopters (13 November 2020)Four UH-60M, $213 million, option for two; quote from Raimundas Karoblis.
- NATO: Air policing / NATO Air Defence topic page (updated 29 September 2026)Baltic skies protected since 2004; Ämari since 2014; Lielvārde since 2024; 2026 shift to air defence.
- Plieno sparnai: Lietuvos aviacijos istorija 1919–1940Specialist interwar aviation history site: nine ANBO types, 66 aircraft.
- AIP Lithuania, AD 2 EYSA Šiauliai Military/International (eAIP AIRAC 03/26, 11 June 2026)Oro navigacija; ARP 555338N 0232342E, elevation 447 ft, runways 14L/32R 3500 x 45 and 14R/32L 3244 x 32, civil and military use.
- AIP Lithuania, AD 2 EYKA Kaunas/International (eAIP AIRAC 03/26)ARP 545750N 0240505E, elevation 259 ft, runway 08/26 3250 x 45 asphalt.
- AIP Lithuania, AD 2 EYPA Palanga/International (eAIP AIRAC 03/26)ARP 555823N 0210538E, elevation 33 ft, runway 01/19 2280 x 45 asphalt.
- Oro navigacija: AIP / AIP SUPLithuanian eAIP index; AD 2 lists only EYKA, EYPA, EYSA and EYVI.
- OurAirports airport database (public domain)
Figures verified 2026-09-29. Order of Battle pages are regenerated from a single dataset; if a number here disagrees with a Book of Beasts page, this page is the more recent of the two.
Photographs: Photo: GiW / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: VynedJ / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) · Photo: Keikei1410 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Jim van de Burgt from Wijk bij Duurstede, Netherlands / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: Original uploader was Lazdynas at lt.wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Colin Cooke Photo / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: Alan Wilson / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo (Wilga in civil markings shown): Łukasz Golowanow and Maciek Hypś, Konflikty.pl / Wikimedia Commons (Attribution) · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Royal Air Force Gladiator. San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo (DH.89 in other markings shown): DiscoA340 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo (Avro 626 in other markings shown): Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)