Lithuania enters PZH 2000 howitzer partnership project

This will allow Lithuania ensuring upgrade of the self-propelled howitzers, installation of control systems and will allow reaching operational capacities on time.

Head of the Department of Weaponry and Control Systems Artur Ploksto who represented Lithuania at the session stated that Lithuania’s involvement in the Land Combat Vehicles Support Partnership would ensure that the howitzers Lithuania had procured from Germany would be updated, C2 systems installed and full operational capability reached on time, Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence said.

NSPA representatives underscored that the Lithuanian Armed Forces were doing exceptional step in enhancing indirect fire capabilities that were one of the most critical aspect of modern battle field. Lithuania would be an equal member of the partnership with all the benefits and rational obligations to help it to achieve mast-economy benefits concerning maintenance, procurement, servicing, technical personnel training, transportation, etc.

Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence and Germany’s Ministry of Defence signed an agreement on purchase of self-propelled the PZH 2000 howitzers from the German Armed Forced on 29 September. On the basis of the agreement Lithuania will acquire 21 self-propelled 155mm howitzers, 16 of them will be used for combat purposes, 1 for firing and 1 for driving drills, and the remaining 3 – for spare parts. The Lithuanian Armed Forces will also acquire 26 M577 V2 armoured command post vehicles and 6 BPZ2 recovery tanks.

The first shipment of the howitzers is expected to reach Lithuania in 2016, with the rest to come by 2019.

The PzH2000 project under the Land Combat Vehicles (LCV) Support Partnership of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency covers NSPA support to supply, procurement, maintenance, technical/engineering services, technical training, configuration management, transportation, in-country training, on-site support, etc.