Overview

• Lithuania’s defence and education ministries have unveiled a three-year programme to establish nine regional drone training centres beginning in September.
• The government allocated about €3.3 million for specialist equipment, including indoor and outdoor first-person-view drones, control and video transmission systems, and a mobile training app.
• Training will be delivered by the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union together with the national non-formal education agency, targeting a total of 22,500 participants by 2028.
• Curricula will guide third and fourth graders through building and piloting basic drones with secondary students set to design and manufacture advanced first-person-view models.
• The initiative responds to recent incidents of suspected Russian drones crossing from Belarus into Lithuanian territory and broader tensions along the country’s border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.