Germany agreed to supply 168 M557 vehicles to Lithuania for $1.71 million. Photo by the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The government of Lithuania is set to receive M577 armored personnel carriers from the German Armed Forces.

The M577 is a member of the M113 armored vehicle family typically used as a tactical operations center by warfighters on the battlefield. The vehicle can be crewed by up to 5 personnel, and is not normally equipped with any defensive weapons.


German defense officials signed a contract to deliver a total of 168 vehicles to the Lithuanian Armed Forces on Nov. 30 in Vilnius. The order is valued at approximately $1.71 million.

"The Lithuanian Armed Forces is buying command, indirect fire support, medical evacuation and training M577 armored personnel carriers in good technical condition that will fill in the shortages of armored vehicles in the Lithuanian Land Force," Lithuanian Logistics Support Command Lt. Col. Ramūnas Baronas said in a press release.

The Lithuanian Armed Forces already operate M113 vehicles similar to the M577. Deliveries are expected to occur in several phases between 2017 and 2018.