Can NATO’s CUAS marketplace turn urgent demand into deliveries?
Framework contracts and leasing options aim to shorten acquisition timelines, while manufacturing partnerships could help suppliers scale production to meet allied demand.
U5000 will be deployed for logistics support and personnel transportation. (Photo: Lithuanian MND)
The Lithuanian defence ministry announced on 20 October that it has taken delivery of more 4x4 U5000 Unimog trucks. The procurement of the 5t capacity vehicles was part of an ongoing effort to modernise the national Armed Forces fleet.
The new multipurpose trucks will be handed over to the Lithuanian Army for use in logistical support and personnel transportation.
The 42 vehicles were acquired under an extension of an €80 million ($93.14 million) contract signed in 2015 with Daimler Trucks AG and the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).
Under this agreement, Lithuania has already received 340 Unimog U5000 trucks.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, the Unimog truck has been in continuous production for more than 65 years for military and civil applications and it is in service with the armed forces of more than 25 countries.
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