The Lithuanian Navy has contracted French company ECA Group for the delivery of further K-STER mine disposal vehicles.
This is the second time Lithuania is ordering the systems after receiving the first remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) back in 2009.
The K-STER is an expendable mine disposal system that allows the navies to neutralize mines while keeping the crew safe. Operators can run the drone from a command and control unit located outside of the minefield, whether onboard a ship or from the land.
Designed with tiltable shape charge, the K-STER can neutralize a range of mines including sea bottom mines, floating mines, historical mines and smart mines.
The system is in service with a number of navies and has recently been selected by the navies of Belgium and the Netherlands as part of their Tripartite-class mine countermeasure vessels replacement program that will heavily leverage unmanned and autonomous systems in the fight against mines.
