The contract was signed on 11 October in Bonn, Germany, as announced by the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) in a statement published on social media.
OCCAR has not disclosed specific figures regarding the agreement. The organisation stated that the contract includes a new variant of the Boxer vehicle, described as an engineering variant.
According to OCCAR, “an engineering variant will be developed and will provide the Lithuanian army with significantly improved tactical mobility, directly integrating engineering equipment (such as that used for mine clearance) into the existing Lithuanian infantry fighting vehicle configuration.”
Lithuanian land forces are currently operating 91 Boxer wheeled vehicles, which were delivered under the EUR 358.6 million contract signed in August 2016. Deliveries were completed by late 2023.
However, the total cost of the Vilkas programme (the codename for Boxer vehicles operated by the Lithuanian Armed Forces) is approximately EUR 670 million. This amount includes the costs of infrastructure investments, anti-tank guided missiles, ammunition, and other necessary elements of the Vilkas logistics chain.
The Lithuanian Vilkas wheeled infantry fighting vehicle is equipped with the Samson Mk II unmanned turret, produced by the Israeli defence company Rafael. This turret is armed with a Bushmaster II 30mm automatic cannon and Spike LR anti-tank missiles.
