Lithuania receives its first Thales GM200 MM/C radar to locate enemy artillery

Lithuania has received its first Thales Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission Compact (GM200 MM/C) multifunction radar. The Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence announced the delivery on 30 October 2026, the specialist outlet Army Recognition reports. The radar is intended for Lithuania's national division, and its main task is to locate the positions from which an enemy fires indirect weapons.

The radar works out where a round was fired from

The GM200 MM/C tracks incoming shells, mortar rounds and rockets and uses their trajectories to calculate the position they were fired from. That data lets friendly artillery conduct counter-battery fire. According to the Lithuanian ministry, the radar will work alongside the division's other reconnaissance and fire-support assets. Depending on its configuration and equipment, it can also monitor the airspace and be integrated into air defence systems.

Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said the radar significantly expands the national division's capabilities. In his words, the system helps detect both enemy artillery firing positions and FPV drones. Detecting a drone gives warning, but defeating it needs a separate asset.

Developed in the Netherlands, bought through an agreement with it

The radar was developed by Thales Nederland in cooperation with the Dutch armed forces. Lithuania is acquiring it through an agreement with the Netherlands announced on 3 January 2024. The deal is worth €126.7 million, including logistic support: technical documentation, operator and maintenance training, initial spare parts, specialist tools and test equipment. At the time, the first deliveries were planned for 2026.

Cooperation with the Dutch defence ministry also covers technical maintenance, support and further capability development. The Lithuanian company ELSIS TS takes part as a Thales subcontractor, responsible for systems integration.

The technical figures are the manufacturer's

The GM200 MM/C uses an active electronically scanned array (AESA) that steers its beam electronically in bearing and elevation. According to Thales, the radar can track aircraft, helicopters, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, rockets, artillery shells and mortar rounds. The manufacturer gives a range of up to 400 km. That is the maximum range for air surveillance, not the distance at which the radar detects artillery shells.

Lithuania has not said how many radars it has ordered, in which configuration the delivered one comes, which unit receives it, or when it will be operational.