Lithuania's M577s upgraded
Germany's Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) has upgraded 22 M577 armoured personnel carriers for the Lithuanian armed forces, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence announced on 28 November.
The upgraded M577s will be used for command and control of Lithuania's PzH2000 howitzers. The 22 upgraded vehicles are planned to be transferred to the General Romualdas Giedraitis Artillery Battalion based in Rukla in 2019.
The total value of the upgrade contract amounts to €1.5 million ($1.71 million). Lithuanian enterprise UAB Autokurtas was contracted to complete part of the work with maintenance technology supplied by FFG. A new command and control system will be integrated in future.
The Lithuanian armed forces procured more than 180 M577 armoured personnel carriers for command, indirect fire support, medical evacuation and training purposes from the German armed forces, along with 21 PzH2000 howitzers and 10 BPZ2 armoured recovery vehicles in 2015-2016.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
![US Marine Corps force transformation on track, according to update]()
US Marine Corps force transformation on track, according to update
The US Marines Corps’ Force Design 2030 is about restructure, changes to operational concepts, a refresh of equipment and new categories of equipment. The review indicates a high level of success.
-
![BAE Systems Hägglunds’ CV90120 medium tank takes shape]()
BAE Systems Hägglunds’ CV90120 medium tank takes shape
The new vehicle will be based on the CV90 Mk IV chassis and turret, and will be armed with a Rheinmetall 120mm L44A1 low recoil smoothbore gun.
-
![UK government argues strife has little impact on steel supply but imports reign]()
UK government argues strife has little impact on steel supply but imports reign
Speaking in the UK Parliament, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said possible changes in the country’s steelmaking industry will have little impact on defence projects; while much of the steel in British vehicles and ships is imported.
-
![Ukraine receives more Patriot batteries as Centauros break cover]()
Ukraine receives more Patriot batteries as Centauros break cover
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the arrival of more Patriot air defence systems in his country. The development follows the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha calling for 10 more systems last month and Zelenskyy reiterating the need for more.
-
![Norway orders improved NASAMS technology as more countries sign up]()
Norway orders improved NASAMS technology as more countries sign up
The country’s air defence batteries will be equipped with new command posts, wheeled communication nodes and radios. The system itself is in service with more than 14 countries with 13 systems in Ukraine.
-
![Ukraine’s ground robot army still finding its feet]()
Ukraine’s ground robot army still finding its feet
Ukraine’s quest to replace soldiers with robots is hitting technical snags. Shephard spoke with industry leaders about difficulties in the field and what solutions are in the pipeline.
