The MoD of Lithuania on December 17 announced that, back in November, the Defence Materiel Agency under the Ministry of National Defence signed a contract for the acquisition of 356 second-hand military transport vehicles from The Netherlands, among which 125 Mercedes-Benz GD 290s having to be delivered before the end of 2021. Most of the shipment is assigned to National Defence Volunteer Force territorial units to patrol in the border area with Belarus starting on December 20.
For the total sum of approx. EUR 6 million, the Netherlands Armed Forces will hand over the already used Mercedes-Benz GD 290 all-terrain vehicles, DAF trucks, and trailers. The remaining part of the purchase – 165 Mercedes-Benz GD 290, 25 items of various DAF modifications, other equipment – will reach the Lithuanian Armed Forces in two parts in spring and autumn 2022.
The Mercedes-Benz GD 290s were first used in the Netherlands Armed Forces but are in good technical condition. The Lithuanian Armed Forces already operate 400 items of such vehicles, purchased from the Netherlands as well, so the equipment has been tested in training and in domestic support operations already.