Norway deploys NASAMS sensors and 30 troops at Kirkenes, about 7.5 km from the Russian border

Norway is strengthening airspace surveillance on its border with Russia. The Defence Ministry announced on Tuesday, November 3, that new sensors of the NASAMS air-defence system will be deployed at Kirkenes, only about 7.5 kilometres from the Russian border, and that another 30 soldiers will reinforce the Garrison of Sør-Varanger in the Finnmark region.

Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik stressed that the measure is precautionary and not based on a new threat. “We have seen in other countries that drones lose their course. Norway takes this seriously. We must be prepared, even if for now we do not see an increased air threat to Norway or the population of Finnmark,” he said. “Experience from Ukraine shows how important it is to have a good picture and early warning. These sensors will strengthen our ability to detect drones in Finnmark,” he added.

A unit for the Sør-Varanger garrison

A special unit is being formed in Kirkenes to monitor airspace along the border, which will operate the NASAMS sensors. The staff, 30 or more personnel, will join the infantry battalion of the Garrison of Sør-Varanger by the end of the year. The sensors will detect drones that lose their course, alert personnel and give a clear picture of movements in the airspace along the border. The Armed Forces work with the police, which has the primary responsibility for monitoring and preventing illegal drone flights.

The Barents Observer estimates these are most likely Kongsberg electro-optical sensors. The governor of Troms and Finnmark county noted in a statement that Ukrainian drones targeting the Kola Peninsula could, because of Russian GPS jamming, end up on the Norwegian side of the border, although the risk is judged very low. If such a drone becomes an immediate threat to people, the police will send an emergency alert to mobile phones in the areas at risk, with protection instructions.

Drones violating NATO airspace

Norway is acting after repeated violations of NATO countries’ airspace by drones. On September 8 a suspected Russian Shahed-type drone violated the airspace of Moldova and Romania, leading to airspace closure, emergency alerts and the immediate scramble of NATO fighters, while violations have also occurred in Finland and Lithuania. For the latest in the Baltic, see our report on Latvia’s second drone alert in two days.

The deployment comes amid a broader climate of preparing the north. Norway warned in 2025 of a Russian build-up of nuclear weapons and submarines in the Arctic, while Norway’s domestic security service PST recently warned it expects Norway to become an increasingly frequent target of sabotage. Justice and Preparedness Minister Astri Aas-Hansen called cooperation among the armed forces, police and other bodies of “total defence” critical.