Latvia allocates 422 million euros for artillery procurement

Latvia requires 422.25 million euros to fund the procurement of various artillery systems between 2026 and 2029. The Latvian government has approved a reallocation of 43,635,000 euros from the State Defense and Security Fund to the Ministry of Defence's national armed forces maintenance subprogram to facilitate these purchases.

Funding will cover the acquisition of Czech-made Morana self-propelled howitzers and an additional, undisclosed rocket artillery project currently under negotiation. This new project is being developed alongside the existing Himars project, for which Latvia has already signed a contract with the US government to acquire six Lockheed Martin high-mobility artillery rocket systems, expected to arrive starting in 2027.

The development of artillery capabilities will be financed through the European Union's Security Action for Europe (SAFE) loan instrument and national budget funds. Notably, the government recently revised its previous decision to opt for the more expensive Swedish-made Archer 155mm towed artillery systems in favor of the Czech Morana howitzers.