The Russian army repeatedly attacks from the air. Putin’s forces are trying to destroy critical infrastructure in Ukraine with kamikaze drones and missiles. Power plants, oil and gas storage facilities and transportation hubs are under attack from long-range fires. Especially the cheap drones from Iran are fired en masse. And the Ukrainians have a hard time shooting everyone.
Experts believe that Ukraine’s air defenses were not adequately positioned from the start, as “Spiegel” writes. Systems such as the Buk and S-300 are considered reliable, but there is a lack of sufficient quantities and, in the long run, the right ammunition. The sad balance in Ukraine: More than a third of the power supply has already been damaged by Russian air strikes. The Ukrainian government is asking the population to save as much electricity as possible.
But now the Ukrainians have received another defense cargo from the West. Including eight air defense systems Nasams. They would “significantly strengthen the Ukrainian army and make our airspace safer,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Monday. He thanked “our partners – Norway, Spain and the US”. The Ukrainians in particular are hoping for the Nasams system.
Nasam’s versatile on the battlefield
The system was developed by the Norwegian Konsberg Defense and Aerospace and the American Raytheon Technologies, as the “Spiegel” continues to write. It has a battery of six missiles at a time. The combustion units are transported by truck to the place of use.
The system is very flexible: it has radar, camera and infrared stations, a fire control center and a command vehicle. All these units can be set up individually within a radius of approximately 20 kilometers – this allows the system to be adapted to a wide range of different application scenarios.
Nasams is equipped with the Amraan (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) missiles, which offer a great advantage over conventional Soviet weapons. Actually, the Amraan missiles are air-to-air missiles and not surface-to-air missiles – but they can still be installed in the Nasams systems.
Soviet anti-aircraft systems, on the other hand, require custom-built missiles. In this way, according to Spiegel, a supplement can always be guaranteed. Because the Amraan stocks of western partners are so large that deliveries are guaranteed for a long time.
US announce further support
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan (45) announced on Thursday that the US will continue to provide military aid to Ukraine. Particularly in the field of air defense, the Ukrainian army should receive support. The US is helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia on a massive scale and has pledged more than $18 billion in aid to Ukraine since the Russian war of aggression began in February.
This help can be desperately needed. As convenient as the Nasams systems are, they are also expensive. According to “Spiegel”, the price for a Nasams-compatible missile is in the range of several hundred thousand US dollars, more recent models are even sold for a unit price of three million US dollars. (chs)