The system will be used for the Fire Thunder 2015 exercise, which will kick off next week and involve 450 troops from Lithuania, the United States, Poland and Portugal.
Senior Lieutenant Andrius Dilba, public relations officer for the Lithuanian Land Forces, told BNS the artillery systems arrived in Lithuania at about 10:30 a.m. local time on Saturday and are currently being transported from the port city of Klaipėda to training grounds in the Klaipėda district.
A US platoon with four 155mm self-propelled howitzers and logistic equipment has arrived in Lithuania for the training, also bringing four artillery systems, the Defense Ministry said.
According to the press release, the Paladin artillery system of the US Armed Forces was introduced in the US Army in 1960. M109A6 Paladin brought to Lithuania is the ninth-generation model with the maximum firing range of 30km. One artillery system is manned by a crew of six – the commander, the gunner, the gunner’s assistant, the driver and two ammunition loaders.
Organized in Lithuania by the Lithuanian Land Force of the Lithuanian Armed Forces for the third time in a row. The international exercise Fire Thunder is scheduled to start on 24 April.
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