Defence chief questions Brazil’s role in Lithuania’s new air force purchase

Gedrimas Eglinskas, chairman of Lithuania’s Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence (KNBO), has expressed concerns over the lack of clarity regarding how the country’s planned purchase of Brazilian military aircraft will be integrated into its defence system.

He emphasised that despite parts of the aircraft being manufactured in the US and EU, the ultimate beneficiary of the deal would be Brazil, a member of the BRICS bloc alongside Russia, Caliber.Az reports, citing Lithuanian media.

“We are not questioning the need for these aircraft, but the key issue is who we are buying from. Even though production involves the US and EU countries, the final beneficiary remains Brazil, a BRICS nation,” Eglinskas said following a closed session of the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) on August 5.

During the meeting, the deputy defence minister assured that the C-390 Millennium aircraft, which Lithuania plans to acquire, would be capable of combat control operations. However, Eglinskas expressed scepticism about this claim, pointing out the requirement of air superiority for such operations.

“The deputy minister stated that combat operations could be commanded from the aircraft, but that presumes we have air superiority, which demands fighter jets and air defence systems—capabilities we likely won’t possess for another 25 years,” he explained.

Eglinskas also criticised the army and defence ministry for failing to present a clear plan on how these aircraft would fit into Lithuania’s broader defence strategy. He noted that during the meeting, there was no clear vision from the army commander regarding the aircraft’s integration.

“There are many unanswered questions. What was missing was a clear explanation from the ministry and army leadership about the aircraft’s role in our national defence,” he said. Eglinskas announced that a more thorough discussion on the issue is scheduled for another committee meeting in two weeks, where it will be addressed in the context of the planned defence restructuring.

For reference, on June 18, Lithuania’s State Defence Council approved the Ministry of Defence and Defence Resources Agency’s proposal for the development of the Lithuanian Air Force, which includes the acquisition of these aircraft.

By Tamilla Hasanova