“YIT Lietuva” to build assemble of “Leopard 2A8” tank in Kaunas

Sustainable urban and infrastructure development company “YIT Lietuva” has signed an agreement with UAB “Lithuania Defence Services” for the construction of a tank production and maintenance plant in the Kaunas Free Economic Zone. The 13,000 sq. m facility will become one of the key elements of Lithuania’s defence industry infrastructure – in the future, it will be used to assemble and maintain the most advanced “Leopard 2A8” tanks as well as other heavy equipment of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The total value of the project is approximately 29 million EUR.

The project will be implemented under the Design-Build model, with “YIT Lietuva” responsible for both design and construction works. Construction is planned to begin in August this year and be completed in November 2027.

“This project is significant not only for our company, but for Lithuania as a whole. It will contribute to strengthening the country’s defence infrastructure and will play an important role in ensuring the technical readiness of the Lithuanian Armed Forces in the future. We are pleased to be able to contribute to this process with our experience and engineering expertise. The Design-Build model is particularly important for projects of this kind, as it enables close coordination between design and construction processes and efficient decision-making throughout the entire project,” says Kęstutis Vanagas, Managing director of “YIT Lietuva”.

The new plant will be built on an area of almost 10 hectares. The complex will comprise the main production building and auxiliary-purpose structures.

According to representatives of UAB “Lithuania Defence Services”, the new plant will ensure long-term heavy equipment maintenance capabilities for the Lithuanian Armed Forces within the country. In the future, the company will be responsible not only for assembling “Leopard 2A8” tanks, but also for their long-term technical maintenance, repair and maintaining combat readiness in Lithuania. It is planned that the first tank assembled in Lithuania will roll out of the plant at the end of 2028.

The design of the facility includes specialised infrastructure required for the full tank operation cycle. The building will be equipped with three overhead cranes, while the site will include a tank testing track, an immersion pool with extraction equipment, an inclination testing ramp and other infrastructure necessary for testing and servicing military equipment.

"We have reached the first important milestone on the project's path - the contractor selection and tender procedures have been successfully completed and a contract has been signed with an experienced and capable contractor. We are entering the second stage - the design and construction period of the assemble," says Egidijus Kunevičius, head of the department of UAB Sweco Lietuva, the company providing construction management and technical maintenance services for this project.

The facility is being designed to meet A++ energy efficiency class requirements, and BIM tools will be used throughout the entire project implementation process, enabling more accurate planning, coordination and management of complex construction processes.

The plant is expected to create up to 100 working places – around 70 for production specialists and around 30 for administrative staff. More than 120 parking spaces will also be installed on the site, some of them equipped with electric vehicle charging stations.