US to give Ukraine eight NASAMS, first two on the way – Pentagon
Washington has confirmed that it will provide Ukraine with eight NASAMS systems (Photo:MKFI / Wikimedia)
Washington has confirmed that it will provide Ukraine with eight NASAMS systems, two of which will be delivered "in the very near future” and six more being sent later, a senior Pentagon official said at a background briefing for the media on Oct. 31.
Earlier it was reported that Ukraine expects a total of eight NASAMS from the United States.
Two NASAMS systems were included in the package of military assistance to Ukraine worth $820 million that the United States announced on July 1.
Then on Aug. 24, Ukraine’s Independence Day, the Department of Defense announced a new aid package from the United States worth almost $3 billion, including six additional NASAMS and associated munitions.
A Pentagon spokesman confirmed these plans on Oct. 31, commenting on the provision of air defense systems and equipment to Ukraine at the request of journalists.
According to him, the United States has made the following efforts to protect Ukrainian skies:
- provided Ukraine with 1,400 Stinger MANPADS in addition to "considerable numbers of short range air defense systems" given to Ukraine by other allies and partners;
- pledged to provide Ukraine with eight NASAMS and ammunition, "two of those will be in Ukraine in the very near future, with six more to be provided later";
- "committed to a suite of counter-unmanned aerial systems, including the VAMPIRE system and other radar systems;
- helped secure the donation of an S-300 system from Slovakia to Ukraine at the beginning of the all-out war;
- "sourced many spare parts to keep Ukraine's Soviet-type air defense systems up and running".
Raytheon Technologies, the manufacturer of NASAMS, announced on Oct. 25 that it had handed over the first two systems to the U.S. government a few weeks ago, and they were ready to be shipped to Ukraine.
The planned transfer of the first NASAMS to Ukraine was confirmed by a U.S. Defense official at a background briefing in the Pentagon on Oct. 24.
"We expect the NASAMS to be delivered within the next couple of weeks," the Pentagon spokesman promised.
“Of course, we'll defer to our Ukrainian partners to make that announcement when they arrived and when they're operational. But as we've mentioned before, we'll continue to work hard to get those there as quickly as possible.”
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov announced on Oct. 14 that Ukraine would receive the first NASAMS systems from the United States by the end of October.
"There is a decision of the United States to supply us with a very well-known NASAMS system: the first few installations," Reznikov said.
“Our specialists are already being trained. And they will be delivered this month.”
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