Russia’s neighbour Lithuania gets missile system

VILNIUS, Lithuania – Lithuania, which borders Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, has signed a contract to get a permanent surface-to-air missile system within three years. Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis says the country has “started to fill in a major gap in our national defence system.”

Eirik Lie of Norway’s Kongsberg company said Lithuania had chosen its NASAMS system.

Kongsberg said deal for the mid-range air defence system, signed Thursday, was worth 109 million euros ($128 million).

Lithuania says delivery of the system is scheduled to be start next year and be complete by 2021.

Like its Baltic neighbours, Vilnius is deeply concerned about Moscow’s military muscle in the region. Russia recently has deployed state-of-the-art Iskander missile systems in Kaliningrad with a range of up to 500 kilometres (310 miles).