delivery of weapons
NASAMS – this air defense system is designed to protect Kiev’s troops from Putin’s bombers
There are several generations of NASAMS. It is unclear which Kyiv will receive.
©PR
With long-range rocket launchers, Kyiv is supposed to fight Russia’s artillery. The NASAMS air defense system could make it impossible for Russian planes to bomb Kiev soldiers. Delivery should be soon.
As part of a new US aid package, Ukraine will also get modern air defense systems. NASAMS was developed by Norwegian company Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace and US company Raytheon Technologies. The delivery could be much faster than that of the Iris-T SLM for air defense promised by Chancellor Scholz (IRIS-T SLM – the Scholz protective screen against Russian jets). NASAMS do not have to be produced first. The wording of the US statement indicates that the weapons come from Norwegian stocks. But even so, extensive training would have to take place.
Conversion to Western weapons
With such deliveries, the equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is gradually being converted to NATO standards. These weapons are often far more modern than the systems used by the Ukrainian armed forces, which often date back to the Cold War. And this is the only way to continuously support Kyiv with fresh material during long-lasting battles. The old Soviet weapons and their ammunition are “leftover stocks” that should soon be exhausted. “This system, jointly produced by Norway and the US, is a NATO system, so it is important for us to start helping the Ukrainians convert their air defense systems from Soviet-style weapons and introduce modern technology,” said a senior official US defense official.
Bigger Exclusion Zone
It is unclear from which generation these weapons come. In some cases, the Ukraine will receive the very latest models, but in some cases it will also receive stocks that have already been sorted out. NASAMS is short-range air defense. But “short” is much more than a close-range defense like the cheetah does. These systems can provide protection for particularly vulnerable zones. NASAMS long-range rockets can shoot down targets up to 50 kilometers away. As a special feature, NASAMS uses modified air-to-air missiles, which are usually equipped with jets. This “second use” is cheaper than a completely new development.
A NASAMS 2 battery is bulky. It consists of twelve rocket launchers, eight radars, a fire control center, an electro-optical camera vehicle and a control vehicle. The battery can be spread over a larger zone, so the twelve starters cover quite a large area in total. The NASMAS system has protected the US capital, Washington DC, since 2005. So it could also be deployed in Kharkov or Kyiv, or protect the current combat zone in Donbass.
First block, then push back
Deliveries of weapons NAMAS has high priority. The Russians’ current superiority in long-range weapons is to be countered by strengthening air defenses and the simultaneous delivery of long-range artillery and rocket launchers. Thus, the invaders could lose the ability to advance further. The temporary “stalemate” that then followed on the battlefield is to be used to equip the Ukraine’s ground forces with battle tanks and armored personnel carriers and to train the conscripts who have been called up. In a later phase, Kyiv could then take on the offensive role itself. A key question in this strategy remains whether Kyiv will be able to preserve the systems it has delivered. Or if the Russians manage to determine their locations and eliminate them.