Norway has decided to bolster Ukraine’s air defense by providing two NASAMS firing units. Norway’s Defense Minister, Mr. Bjørn Arild Gram, visited Ukraine and had meetings with both Ukraine’s president, Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyj and Minister of Defense, Mr. Oleksii Reznikov.
Norway’s Defense Minister made a statement regarding the war in Ukraine saying:
“More than a year has passed since the Russian regime started its war against Ukraine. The war has had enormous consequences. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and service personnel have been killed. Millions have been forced to flee their homes. Large parts of the country have been reduced to ruins. The devastation is difficult to comprehend. Seeing this with my own eyes makes a deep impression”
More NASAMS for Ukraine
After the Minister’s visit, the Norwegian government confirmed that, in cooperation with the United States, will provide Ukraine with two more NASAMS firing units, adding up to the other two firing units provided by the US. In addition to that, Norway will take upon the task to train Ukrainian troops on the operation and maintenance of the system.
It is also stated that Norway also helped by providing much needed equipment and training to US donations of NASAMS to Ukraine.
About the NASAMS Surface-to-Air system
The NASAMS Air Defense System, jointly developed by KONGSBERG and Raytheon, is one of the most capable short to medium range SAM systems. It incorporates the concept of network centric architecture, is capable of simultaneous engagements.
One of its main “selling points” is the ability to use many different missiles, varying in operational range. It is capable to use the AIM-9X Block II missile, the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile and the AMRAAM-ER (Extended Range) missile.
Using the wide range of sensors available, NASAMS is able to target fixed wing aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles as well as unmanned aircraft.
A typical NASAMS firing unit is consisted of a command post, an active 3D radar, typically the Raytheon AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel, a passive electro-optical and infrared sensor and a number of missile canister launchers that accommodate up to six of any of the missiles mentioned above.
