RSI Europe to invest up to €50M in strengthening Lithuania’s defence industry
Minister of Economy and Innovation Edvinas Grikšas has signed a large-scale investment project agreement with Lithuanian defence technology company RSI Europe. The company plans to invest up to €50 million in Panevėžys district, where it will expand its capacity to develop and manufacture advanced defence systems.
“The strength of Lithuania’s defence industry lies in local companies that are able to develop advanced technologies and expand their production here in Lithuania. RSI Europe’s project in Panevėžys district is expected to create up to 40 new jobs, around 35% of which will be for highly skilled engineering and technical specialists. These are concrete opportunities for people to take up qualified work beyond the largest cities and contribute to the growth of the country’s defence industry. Projects like this strengthen our economy and security, while also contributing to our goal of attracting at least 30% of new investments to the regions by 2030,” says Minister E. Grikšas.
RSI Europe is a Lithuanian defence technology company founded in 2022 that develops and manufactures products for national defence applications, which are currently supplied to Ukraine and NATO allies.
The project’s production infrastructure is being designed so that it can be expanded as demand grows.
“This investment is about significantly expanding strategic defence-industrial capacity in Lithuania while leaving room for further growth. We want to create high-value jobs and specialised competencies in the Panevėžys region, strengthen Lithuania’s ability to manufacture critical defence technologies at scale, and establish a platform from which globally competitive defence systems can be developed and produced. Europe needs significantly greater sovereign defence manufacturing capacity, and we intend Lithuania to be an important part of building it,” says Tomas Milašauskas, CEO and co-founder of RSI Europe.
RSI Europe plans to develop the required competencies in cooperation with Panevėžys College (Panevėžio kolegija), helping build a long-term pool of technical specialists in the region.
“It is important for Panevėžys district that the expansion of advanced companies opens up more opportunities for people living here. This project can help young specialists link their future to our region – to acquire a profession here, find work that matches their qualifications and build their lives here. At the same time, it is an opportunity for local businesses to become part of advanced manufacturing supply chains,” says Edmundas Toliušis, Director of Panevėžys District Municipal Administration.
As a capital-intensive advanced manufacturing project, the investment is also expected to create broader opportunities for Lithuanian suppliers, engineering companies and other businesses, strengthening the industrial ecosystem in Panevėžys and the surrounding region.
“Lithuania’s defence sector shows how quickly local companies can grow into globally relevant players. RSI Europe is a strong example of what that ambition looks like in practice: advanced technology, high-skilled jobs, and growth rooted in the regions. Our task is to help such companies grow faster and reach further,” says Elijus Čivilis, General Manager of Invest Lithuania.
The agreement with RSI Europe is the tenth large-scale investment project agreement signed by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation this year. Prior to this agreement, the ministry had concluded 31 large-scale investment project agreements, which together envisage a total investment of €2.456 billion and the creation of 6,465 new jobs.
Last updated: 17-09-2026
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