Lithuania has announced plans to establish drone training centers to teach over 22,000 people, including 7,000 children, how to build and operate drones.
Under the initiative, the first three centers are scheduled to open next month in Jonava, Tauragė, and Kėdainiai, with nine centers expected nationwide by 2028.
The program aims to “strengthen public competencies in the fields of drone control and engineering, while expanding civil resistance training,” the Lithuanian government stated.
It involves over 3.3 million euros ($3.8 million) in funding for equipment, including drones, control and video systems, software, and a mobile learning application.
The Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union will train adults, supported by the Lithuanian Non-Formal Education Agency, which will also provide instruction for students.
Younger trainees will start with hands-on experiments and games to build and pilot simple drones.
Older participants will receive an introduction to programming, assemble drones from components, and practice indoor first-person view (FPV) drone piloting.
High school students will advance to designing and producing 3D-printed drone parts, constructing and piloting FPV drones, and taking part in regional and national competitions.
“Unmanned aerial vehicle technologies are now an integral part not only of science and industry, but also of everyday life. We are launching this project to give the younger generation the opportunity to get to know this field from an early age,” stated Valdas Jankauskas, Director of the Lithuanian Non-Formal Education Agency.
Expanding Drone Capabilities
Lithuania is stepping up its drone programs amid growing security concerns.
Earlier this month, the country unveiled plans to acquire a Ukrainian acoustic detection system for countering drones, which will be tested this year and implemented more broadly next year.
The move follows an incident in which a suspected Russian drone, entering from Belarus, was spotted over Vilnius and later recovered in a military training area.
In July, the Lithuanian Armed Forces announced that it would start integrating unmanned aerial systems across its units, with reconnaissance drones assigned to each infantry squad and intelligence and combat drones deployed at higher levels.
Long-range strike drone development is also underway to support deep-penetration operations.
