German defence company Rheinmetall is considering additional investment opportunities in Lithuania as it moves forward with the construction of an artillery ammunition plant in the Radviliškis District discussed the potential for further cooperation with Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas during a meeting in Vilnius Papperger said Lithuania presents opportunities for further investment in defence production something economically powerful that also provides defence capabilities here in Lithuania,” he stated Paluckas confirmed that discussions included possible future investments aimed at strengthening Lithuania’s defence industry we expect constructive cooperation that will bring benefits to both countries,” he said “This cooperation is not an expense but a long-term investment The artillery ammunition plant in Radviliškis is expected to cost between €260 million and €300 million The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026 The facility will produce 155 mm artillery ammunition with approximately half of the production designated for Lithuania and the remainder for export The project is seen as a step towards enhancing Lithuania’s defence capabilities and reducing reliance on international supply chains The plant is being developed under a joint venture established in December between Rheinmetall and two Lithuanian state-owned companies while Epso-G Invest owns 48% and Giraitė Armament Plant (GGG) holds 1% a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Rheinmetall The agreement outlines commitments to using renewable energy The Lithuanian government has identified the project as a priority for national security and defence The collaboration is part of broader efforts to develop the country’s defence industry and strengthen ties with Germany While the focus is currently on the ammunition plant both sides have indicated that future investments in defence production may be considered “We see many opportunities to work together in this area,” Papperger said Cookie Policy Copyright © 2025 Defence Industry Europe | mady by: geekon.eu We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns Rheinmetall’s new plant will be located in Baisogala a town in Lithuania’s Radviliškis District “The plant will be operational from mid-2026 and will be able to produce tens of thousands of 155 mm artillery shells per year,” Rheinmetall said on Friday Representatives of the Lithuanian government and Rheinmetall signed a lease for a plot of land for the future plant in Radviliškis District and a contract for the purchase of 155 mm ammunition in Vilnius on Friday Acting Economy Minister Aušrinė Armonaitė says Lithuania and Rheinmetall will participate in the project together “As we still have some processes that need finalising but very soon we will unveil exactly what the joint venture will look like it will be a joint project involving Lithuania and Rheinmetall,” Armonaitė said after the signing of the contracts Acting Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas says Lithuania will purchase 155 mm ammunition from the Lithuanian plant as it is suitable for the German PzH 2000 and French Caesar self-propelled howitzers used by the Lithuanian armed forces “The integration of ammunition into these systems will be resolved,” he said the quantity of ammunition to be purchased “is calculated based on Lithuania’s interests” and the price “corresponds to the market price” Acting Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė says the Rheinmetall project’s practical implementation in Lithuania will begin after the signing of the contracts “I do believe that under the existing circumstances the construction business and other businesses for important projects to be up and running in a very short period of time I have no doubt that with the increase in the demand for ammunition in Europe this project will be implemented at the proper pace,” she said Rheinmetall plans to invest more than 180 million euros into the 155 mm artillery ammunition plant in Lithuania and create at least 150 new jobs is cautious about the plans and awaits more information An eldership is the smallest administrative division in Lithuania most of whom spoke on condition of anonymity have confirmed to BNS that state-owned land operated by the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) near the town of Baisogala is being considered as a location for Rheinmetall’s ammunition factory and we view it positively,” Mayor Račkauskis told BNS on Monday “When a company like this comes to your district He said he had not been aware of Rheinmetall’s possible arrival and hoped the news would prove true the factory would create new jobs in Radviliškis District not only through direct employment but also in linked industries because a factory like this will likely require a full range of services which will undoubtedly provide a positive boost to our district,” he said Račkauskis noted that “these matters are decided at the governmental level” and that it is not within his competence as the mayor to say “100-percent that this will or will not happen” “I know that several districts were being considered as possible sites and there were rumours before about some ongoing monitoring I must admit I didn’t know specifically which plot was being discussed Baisogala Elder Renata Masiulienė told BNS that the news about Rheinmetall’s intentions came “like a bolt from the blue” on Monday morning “A bolt of lightning can’t be a cause for joy not an investment like a window factory or something,” Masiulienė told BNS It’s good when it’s not in your own backyard but sometimes it happens that it knocks on your door,” she added “The chairman of the [local] community is scared a sizable company which has made a lot of investments We don’t know how to judge it; everything is too fresh,” she said the eldership of Baisogala has a population of 3,600 people making it the third largest eldership in Radviliškis District it can border the village of Augmenai,” she said Rheinmetall’s plans to build an ammunition factory in Lithuania were confirmed by Armin Papperger but the exact location under consideration has not yet been disclosed Investigators tracked the fugitive to Lithuania where he was arrested in June News | Crime Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice A cigarette smuggler who spent more than two years on the run has been jailed was part of an organised gang who smuggled more than 12 million illegal cigarettes Bernotas, of Radviliškis, Lithuania, fled the UK, but he was convicted after a trial at Durham Crown Court in May 2018 and sentenced to two years in jail in his absence HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigators tracked Bernotas to Lithuania where he was arrested on June 6 this year where his two-year jail sentence was confirmed Driver accused in lorry case 'is part of global people smuggling ring' Drug smugglers dump cocaine into ocean in dramatic high-speed chase assistant director of the Offender Management and Enforcement Team at HMRC said: "Bernotas attempted to cheat justice but even during lockdown HMRC has been working with partner authorities to relentlessly pursue fugitives of the law "Within seven days of his extradition being agreed with the Lithuanian authorities our officers had extradited Bernotas back to the UK and he is now behind bars." Bernotas was initially arrested by HMRC officers in April 2015 after he and his fellow gang members were caught unloading a shipment of 1.2 million cigarettes at an industrial unit in Stanley The illegal goods were smuggled into the country concealed inside wooden cable drum discs Two men have already been jailed over the smuggling plot received a three-year prison sentence in May 2018 Strasunskas fled to Lithuania before he was sentenced but he was apprehended and brought back to the UK in January 2019 to serve his time in jail Two other members of the gang - Dainius Pranskaitis Lithuania - also failed to attend trial and are wanted by HMRC Prince Louis steals the show at VE Day parade as he keeps dad William looking sharp and mimics brother George Prince Louis steals show with sweet antics at VE parade VE Day 2025 fashion: best looks from the day VE Day 2025 fashion: Princess of Wales to Lady Victoria Starmer Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in major blow for Putin ahead of Victory Day celebrations Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in blow for Putin David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash in London 'shut down' by council over noise complaints David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash 'shut down' over noise complaints Stacey Solomon 'regrets doing reality show with Joe Swash' for tough reason Stacey Solomon 'regrets reality show with Joe Swash' for tough reason The seven individuals have opted to remain anonymous The land is operated by the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė is expected to discuss the potential land transfer for the factory during her meeting with LSMU Rector Rimantas Benetis on Monday Benetis has confirmed he is having the meeting but I can guess that the answer is ‘yes’,” he told BNS when asked if they would talk about the land transfer for the factory The rector also mentioned having previously discussed the potential land transfer with Environment Minister Simonas Gentvilas The National Land Service under the Environment Ministry is responsible for managing and administering state-owned land LSMU operates several state-owned land plots in Baisogala a town of around 1,700 in Radviliškis District Two LSMU units – the Institute of Animal Science and the Animal Research Centre – are based in the town head of the National Land Service’s Radviliškis unit has told BNS that the received a request from the service’s management a few months ago for information about a LSMU-operated land plot of almost 400 hectares without giving any reasons for their inquiry The plot near Baisogala is used by the Institute of Animal Science LRT.lt reported last week that northern Lithuania is the most likely location for Rheinmetall’s factory Economy Minister Aušrinė Armonaitė said last week that agreements with the German military industry giant on the construction of its 155 mm artillery ammunition factory in Lithuania were expected to be signed within the next two weeks The parliament last week started debating a legislative package tabled by the Economy and Innovation Ministry to facilitate the construction of factories by major Western arms and ammunition producers the amendments call for setting out a procedure for when the construction of large-scale defence projects could begin without the usual building permit it would be mandatory to obtain the permit before the construction is completed for maintaining and repairing combat vehicles for NATO allies stationed in the Baltic Sea region and German-made military equipment sent to Ukraine The plans for an artillery ammunition factory come amid deepening defence ties between Lithuania and Germany Berlin last year pledged to deploy a military brigade in Lithuania by 2027 Lithuania purchases various weapons from Germany and has recently announced its intention to buy German-made Leopard 2 tanks The Fire Protection and Rescue Department reported that a total of 97 different types of grenades and 2,485 units of various artillery shells were found shortly after noon leading authorities to cordon off the area The Lithuanian Armed Forces said on Wednesday that the explosives were unearthed by excavation workers on the battalion's grounds in Radviliškis Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) specialists say the explosives may have been abandoned by the Soviet army because a military unit was based in the area The explosives were loaded into a car by the EOD specialists and left on the battalion's grounds overnight They were to be transported to a quarry for safe detonation on Wednesday but we have additionally adopted a recommendation to keep the name of the street [in Vilkaviškis] with an explanatory plate saying that this is her birthplace,” Vitas Karčoauskas Chairman of the Inter-institutional Commission for the Assessment of the Compliance of Public Places with the Prohibition of the Promotion of Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes and Their Ideologies in Public Places it [the name of the street] should still be changed it is enough that one town has a street named after her,” he added The commission also proposes to change the names of the streets named after Petras Cvirka the municipality of Zarasai District has been recommended to remove the monument of a Russian soldier with a rifle which is located at the burial site of Soviet soldiers from the Second World War in the town of Turmantas The law prohibiting the promotion of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes and their ideologies in public places came into force in Lithuania in May 2023 The law bans any form of commemoration or representation of persons or information propagating totalitarian or authoritarian regimes and their ideologies Usevičiūtė tells LRT.lt she bought the former school dormitory in 2011 from the state enterprise Turto Bankas to transform the building into an apartment block,” says Usevičiūtė and despite having experience in property development the sheer scale of the project proved challenging – she had to re-plan the 53 apartments and undertake a complete renovation to bring them up to modern standards since renovation costs the same everywhere,” whether it’s the capital city or a provincial town There isn’t a project in Radviliskis where everything is renovated from scratch,” says Usevičiūtė some people were shocked by the asking price what kind of prices have you put up,” according to Usevičiūtė she does not intend to sell all the apartments There are a lot of transport and logistics companies in Radviliškis “with a lot of workers from Ukraine,” she says “I’m bombarded with questions from these transport firms asking if I’m renting out the apartments.” especially in northern provinces bordering Latvia Lithuania has lost around 15 percent of its population to emigration abandoned apartments sell for as little as €1,500 The cabinet adopted the draft resolution as Rheinmetall prepares to manufacture ammunition of this caliber in Lithuania and as the country seeks to ensure the factory also produces shells needed for its Armed Forces’ artillery systems The resolution allows bypassing the tender process to purchase the ammunition from local manufacturers from Rheinmetall or its subsidiaries in other countries The German defence giant plans to build a 155mm artillery ammunition factory in the northern Lithuanian district of Radviliškis with over 180 million euros to be invested in the project which is expected to create at least 150 new jobs “If artillery shells were produced in Lithuania it would reduce the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ dependence on external factors as well as help ensure production control and supply within the shortest possible time avoiding disruptions that could arise from purchasing equipment from foreign countries,” the Defence Ministry said Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas has said that this was one of the conditions in the agreement with Rheinmetall It is Lithuania's second mink farm hit by the coronavirus The first outbreak was detected on a farm in the central district of Jonava in late November Six workers on the Radviliškis farm have tested positive for the coronavirus and it is suspected that they could have transmitted the virus to mink The farm's operations have been restricted since the VMVT was informed about the infected workers the decision was made to cull only those animals that could have contracted the virus or have Covid-19 symptoms but the farm must continue to closely monitor the health of its animals and protect its workers adding that it has set up an investigation group to look at how the virus spread into the farm where Lithuania's first mink coronavirus outbreak was confirmed Read more: Central Lithuanian district declares emergency after 1,200 mink die of Covid-19 The two cases were reported in Kaunas County they were people in the risk group due to their age and health conditions according to the National Public Health Centre (NVSC) remains the biggest hotspot of infections in the country with 53 new cases confirmed over the weekend Lithuania's total count of confirmed coronavirus infections stands at 4,385 Ninety-one people have died of the coronavirus in the country 19 more had the infection but died of other causes Classes have not been interrupted in Radviliškis Gymnasium where the outbreak of tuberculosis was reported Although the classrooms and hallways are ventilated and disinfected more frequently I have no symptoms and I had no close contact But there is still the fear of getting infected,” says Aurelija Three students have been diagnosed with tuberculosis so far we hope that by June their illness will be under control and they will be able to take their exams,” said Ina Bajarauskienė The gymnasium has over 600 students and nearly 70 teachers as well as people who use the premises for after-school activities will have tuberculin samples or lung X-rays “A universal screening of all students in the school who have had contact with those identified cases will be carried out perhaps the coaches and leaders of the clubs they attended will also be contacted It has been established with whom the three cases were in contact,” says Vytautas Simelis Public health experts say that in recent years the incidence of tuberculosis in Radviliškis has been the highest in the region the situation in the educational institution is being closely monitored “The main risk factor for contracting tuberculosis is prolonged and regular contact with a person with open pulmonary tuberculosis Whether we get sick depends largely on how immune we are,” said a spokeswoman for the National Public Health Centre According to the National Public Health Centre the incidence of tuberculosis was reduced during the Covid-19 pandemic around 640 cases of tuberculosis were reported in the country Dozens of people die each year from this infectious disease Lithuania has one of the highest rates of tuberculosis in the European Union